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| D12's Biography The past year has been a turbulent one for the artist known as Marshall Mathers a.k.a. Eminem. It�s been 12 months plagued by lawsuits, divorces, and criminal charges. His diabolical views mixed with a mad poet�s anguish attracted controversy like flies to shit. On the other hand, that unique characteristic led to a year full of otherwise positive attributes. As we speak, Em continues to garner critical praise for his record-breaking sophomore release, The Marshall Mathers LP. He�s received countless accolades from some of the music industry�s most respected music outlets. And in a test of true showmanship, the blond-haired rap-phenom dazzled viewers with a classic performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards. So what�s next? Three Grammys, two Source Awards and 14 million records later, the artist known as Eminem continues to exceed expectations. Now Marshall Mathers, entrepreneur, will officially introduce the world to five more of Detroit�s wildest wordsmiths via his new imprint, Shady Records. D12, a.k.a. Dirty Dozen (Proof, Kon Artis, Bizarre, Kuniva, Swifty, plus the Shady One himself), will make their bloody red carpet debut on Devil�s Night, scheduled for release on June 19. Named after the notorious night before Halloween in which the city�s relentless youth run amok in a barbaric fashion, Devils Night will feature Em and company tearin� mics over production from Dr. Dre, DJ Head, Kon Artis and Eminem. Raw and rambunctious from the outset, D12 includes Em and five of his Motor City co-di�s who, like him, double-up on their personas in order to unleash more uncontained rowdy energy. Denaun a.k.a Kon Artis, Big Proof a.k.a. Dirty Harry, Swift a.k.a Swifty McVeigh, Kuniva a.k.a. Rondell Beene, and Bizarre a.k.a. Peter S. Bizarre. The six-man crew met seven years ago at Detroit�s Hip Hop Shop, a local hangout where emcees of all calibers would gather in hopes of droppin� a verse or two during the store�s �Saturday open-mic sessions.� Still unknown, Em had stepped to a local producer, Kon Artis, to come up with some beats for Em�s indie-release Infinite. Meanwhile, word about �the ill white boy� was getting around to another of Detroit�s most notorious emcees, MC Proof. The two squared off and instantly gained respect for each other. �I remember we both said the same obscure punch-line to each other,� remembers Proof. �That when I knew he did his homework as an emcee.� Most members of D12 had already established themselves throughout hip-hop�s underground segment with their respective solo careers. Bizarre independently released his debut EP, Attack of the Weirdos in 1997. Swifty was earnin� his stripes as one half of the BMG/Mecca Don Records recording artist, Rabeez, while Proof released an indie single, �Searchin� b/w �Anywhere,� in 1995. �We were all these little stragglers,� says Proof, �so we thought that we would form together in a group and be the illest.� Instantly finding a common bond with their outrageous subject matter, the assembled forces honed their skills under the alias D12 (six members x two personalities = D12). �We made a pact years ago,� says the click�s most notorious member, Eminem, �which ever one of us gets signed comes back for the rest.� Devils Night attests to that team loyalty the group abides by. While all members made their debut on �Under the Influence,� off the Marshall Mathers LP, the world got an official full dose of D12 with their first release, �Shit On You,� a relentlessly sinister, off the wall tirade featuring the production skills of DJ Head. �D12 is the latest piece of the Motor City�s musical legacy,� says Proof. �We try our best to expose the city�s culture: to make sure that Detroit is felt and remind ourselves of the old Motown days.� Not surprisingly, D12�s debut album is loaded with what�s sure to be controversial material. The first single, �Purple Pills,� already reeks of trouble as D12 takes listeners on a psychedelic ride with the �ultimate non-prescribed medicine.� Another party-on-record: �My Buzz,� a celebration of substance abuse and tendencies of other people to ruin a good buzz. While dark humour is the vibe of choice for these Motor City Madmen, things get a bit serious on songs like �Pistol, Pistol,� in which D12, over a slick yet sinister violin proceed to pay homage to their weapon of choice. �American Psycho� shows D12�s chief maniac-at-large Bizarre pushing the limits of parental discretion with lyrics too controversial to even print on paper. Not one to miss out on the commotion, the great Doctor, Dr. Dre, steps to the table providing four tracks on Devils Night. One that�s sure to lure attention is �Revelations,� a call to arms on all those fed up with what society deems correct. Another song that captures D12�s rambunctious chemistry at its best is �That�s How�.� a humorous meeting of the minds on circumstances that cause people to get fucked up, locked up, messed up, and beat up�just to name a few. Coming from a place that seems to be breeding some of the sickest emcees in the game by the day, look for D12�s Devils Night to push the limits, push some buttons, and hold the middle finger high for the Murder City. �Detroit! What?!� |