In
the post-Motown landscape of Detroit, brothers
rocking the mic are still being
considered the voice of young America. Yet,
instead of dreaming of blue
skies and white picket fences,
the unruly boys known as
D12 create surreal universes of
wild times and unruly rhymes.
On their bombastic sophomore
effort,
D-12 World,
this motley crew of versatile
style slayers mixes the rowdiness
and absurdities of their lives
into one potent cocktail.
Two years after selling four
million copies worldwide of
their debut
Devil’s
Night, these motor
city wild boys are on a mission
to define themselves in the
hectic canon of now-school hip-hop.
“
In D-12 World,
anything can happen at any time,”
Kuniva laughs.
“
Devil’s
Night was just an introduction,
now it’s time for us to
really go crazy.”
With a lineup that includes
sharp tongued
Eminem,
crazy cat
Bizarre,
beatmaster
Kon Artis,
laid-back
Swift,
chilled-out
Kuniva and freestyle king
Proof,
the
D12 posse
is already popular. The group’s
debut disc received rave reviews
in the press. USA Today wrote, “
The garishly funky
beats that underpin the diabolically
clever wordplay make the album
hard to dismiss…their
diatribes seem born less of
anger and more of disdain for
all that’s politically
correct.”
Indeed,
Devil’s
Night established
D12 as one of the super groups of
the new millennium with its
chart-topping single’s “
Purple Pills” and “
Fight Music” and with their outlandish antics
on record and in performance.
So what if
Eminem has nine Grammys and one Oscar (“
Lose Yourself” from the
8 Mile Soundtrack);
so what if Mr.
Shady has proven himself as a film
star (
8 Mile)
and America’s most popular
rapper, when
D12 is in the house, he’s
just another group member.
“
We all knew each other
growing up in Detroit,”
Proof remembers.
“
I used to sneak Em into my school lunchroom just
so he could battle. Later, when
we started battling once a month
at Maurice Malone’s
Hip-Hop Shop, everybody
had a crew. So, we decided to
form our own. That’s how D12 was born.
Before we even thought about
making records, our only goal
was to be like verbal ninjas
and kick ass.”
Although the Detroit hip-hop scene might not be on
the scale of New York or Cali, those
who are down take rap very seriously.
Having known each other since
the days when they were rapping
just to be heard, head nodding
on stage inside Detroit’s infamous Hip-Hop Shop (where
Proof was also the host), these brothers
from different mothers have
always had a special bond. “
We
were the All-Star Team of battle
rappers,”
Kuniva recalls. “
And when somebody
like Bizarre got in front of the mic, we
never knew what he might say. Bizarre is
wicked ‘cause he’ll
say shit that others won’t.”
While the group was a priority,
each of the members has worked
on solo and side projects. Still,
it wasn’t until
Eminem’s own legendary solo success with
Dr. Dre that
D12 finally
got a chance to move beyond
their neighborhoods. “
Em was able to take D12 to the next level,”
Kon
Artis says. Prior to
teaming-up in front of a mic,
the two worked together at a
local pizza joint called Gilbert’s
Lounge. “
He helps
to bring stuff out of us. With
him, no matter what happens,
it’s always been about
real friendship.”
One friend and group member
who wouldn’t live to see
D12 successfully
rock the world was a young rapper
named
Bugz.
Although he too was down with
the crew,
Bugz was killed shortly before
D12 was signed to
Shady
Records. “
His
last request was that we put Swift in the
group,”
Proof says. “
If you listen to
our song ‘Good
Die Young’ on D-12 World,
you’d understand how much
he meant to the group.”
In an odd coincidence,
Proof’s son was born the same day
Bugz died.
After the release of
Devil’s
Night, the
D12 crew spent many days and nights
touring the world. Although
Bizarre was
still bringing the laughs and
Kuniva was
still being his outspoken self,
there was still time for reflection.
“
Anyone who listened to
the Devil’s Night will hear a lot of growth on
our new joint,”
Kon
Artis says. “
For
the past two years all we’ve
done is tour and mature.”
Bizarre concurs,
“
Although Eminem is the most prominent member
of the crew, on this album the
rest of D12 steps up and displays their
skills. On D-12 World,
you can clearly hear we’re
all dope MCs. Most rap on the
radio right now is either popcorn
or gangsta, but we’re
going for a new refreshing approach
with our beats and lyrical content.”
Although
D12 has grown, they are still funny
as hell. “
When you listen
to the title track, it’s
like walking into a dope house
party,” says
Bizarre.
With its strange soundscape
and spooky strings, the
Kanye
West produced track
serves the listener a taste
of the group’s bugged
poetics.
While most cliques fronted by
an internationally known rap
superstar might try to distance
themselves from second hand
fame, the members of
D12 rather make fun of it with their
1st single, “
My
Band;” lampooning
the fact that more than a few
journalists wrote about
D12 as though they were the latest
boy band on the scene.
“
The entire ‘My
Band’ track originated
from a joke,”
Swift explains. “
On the whole
song, Em is
just this dick lead singer who
anoints us the cute one or the
shy one. It’s just a goof
directed at the media.”
Reminding one of a rap version
of Spinal Tap,
this minimally produced
Em nugget has the charm of Mad
magazine and sassiness
of a snake.
The group balances out the release
of “
My Band” with the simultaneous release
of “
40 Oz.,” (video and single). The rowdy
Trackboyz produced
track gives the club heads the
rush they need to get the party
started.
Em also contributed
the frantic beat on “
Git
Up.” Featuring
Em’s bouncy chants combined with
creepy gothic strings, “
Git
Up,” which is
an exciting street burner taunts
any suckers trying to step to
the crew. As group member
Kon
Artis, himself a noted
producer (find him listed as
Mr. Porter in the production credits),
says, “
Em created a track that is just
pure adrenaline. We just went
in the studio and tried to destroy
whatever people might think
about D12.
Any backlash that Em has to deal with from the press,
we go though together. D12 is more than a group, we’re
brothers.”
Although naysayers and corn
balls might try to label the
humorous “
I’m
Gonna Get My Gun” as just another gangsta anthem,
Bizarre knows
better. “
That’s
another one of those times we
were just messing around in
the studio,” he explains.
“
One of the engineers
said, ‘You ever been in
a club, and see dudes get in
a fight. One guy always gotta
announce.. .I’m gonna get
my gun!’ It’s funny,
but it’s also real.”
Lacing a little R&B with
his pimping,
Kon Artis constructed “
You
Are the One.” Reminiscent of a beat
Big
Daddy Kane would have
been proud to use,
Kon
Artis has created a
track that examines both the
bitter and the sweet in love.
Although
Kon Artis has gotten much fame from producing
50 Cent's single “
P.I.M.P.” and
G-Unit’s “
Stunt 101,” he doesn’t skimp when
it’s time to bring the
noise to
D12.
“
By definition, Detroit has always been a funk town,”
Kon Artis explains.
“
On ‘I’ll
Be Damned,’ I
was just coming with a funky George Clinton/Larry
Graham vibe. To me,
rap is boring right now and
a great way to liven it up is
to bring the funk.”
Kon Artis,
who has studied the art of production
under Detroit homeboy
Jaydee (
Slum Village)
and Cali flyboy
Dr. Dre (who
also contributes to the project
with “
American
Psycho II” featuring
B-Real), has
risen in the ranks as one of
rap’s most sought-after
sound providers. Currently,
he is working on tracks for
Dre’s upcoming CD,
Snoop,
Method Man and
Bilal.
“
The best lesson Dre ever taught me was it doesn’t
hurt to try an idea. The only
way to get to the next level
is to not be afraid.”
Additional producers on
D-12
World include:
Hi-Tek,
Night & Day,
Red Spyda,
and
Sick Notes.
With the release of
D-12
World, the group has
created the perfect blueprint
for all future groups to follow.
As
Proof is
quick to say, “
Forget
about the word real, D12 keeps
it right.”
