The best of all things Eminem and Hip Hop
You are currently browsing the archive for the D12 category.
In memory of the wonderful artist and person Big Proof actually was, I am posting an exclusive photo taken with permission of DJ Butter of Crazy Noise Productions.
Many thanks to Barry ” Butter” Yett for this photo that recalls Deshaun Holton’s nice smile:)
Please don’t take this pic, as it is subject to copyright. PS:this is serious: you are exposing yourself to a lawsuit by the owner of the picture
I have been quite busy, but I haven’t forgotten that yesterday was RIP Big Proof’s third death anniversary. Sad anniversary, maybe, but also a celebration of all Big Proof stood for: his hometown, Detroit, Detroit underground hip hop and being true to oneself:)
So let’s not be sad, but rather celebrate the musical heritage Proof left us all:)
RIP Big Proof.
Isabelle
As Proof’s third death anniversary approaches, the CEO of NBG Records contacted me and sent me an unreleased track that I will have the pleasure to review for all of you before its public and official release date, on April the 11th, 2009.
NBG Records wanted to present an emotional tribute to D12’s Proof, not a sad one, though, but rather a celebration of Proof’s short presence on planet earth.
As the song opens on flute sounds that recall some ancient Asian melodies, the strong spirit of the NBG emcees will break the wall of hidden memories, unveil Proof’s lifeand character.
“I am the living definition of the visual proof”, that’s actually how one could define Deshaun Holton, one of Detroit’s finest syllables architect.
Deshaun Holton was a man who lived for hip hop and who managed to communicate his passion and pride for Detroit, his hometown.
God loves the D, He gave us Proof, He gave us Dilla, He gave us Blade: how many gifted fallen soldiers has Detroit lost during the last years?
NBG Records will pay tribute to their memories.
In their song, Proof’s personality and dedication come to shine. Gossipers and haters’ words are ruined by the evidence of the visual proof.
Whoever witnessed Big Proof in concert, heard him address to the crowd would barely doubt the emcee’s sincerity and dedication. Proof lived for hip hop-literally. He put music above all.
Therefore, we will not focus on the tragic circumstances of his death, but embrace NBG Records’ vision of a charismatic man who incarnated Detroit hip hop like no other.
Moreover, and more than any other Detroit rapper, Big Proof aimed at reassembling all Detroit emcees despite their differences and make them work together. He symbolized unity, love and dedication to the genuine art of hip hop.
NBG’s Living Proof song is like an open book, a celebration of a genuine artist’s life. Things did not end on April the 11th, 2006: it was just the beginning. Proof’s music is meant to stay forever, let’s celebrate its perennity.
Admire the instrumental composition, the emotional voices and the truth that is revealead through this very emotional song.
Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved
Global rating of the product: 4.5 stars
Overshadowed by Eminem’s success, vaguely melted into the D12 group in many people’s minds, Swifty Mc Vay has probably been underestimated by many. But those who know his work in depth perfectly know that Swifty allies an impressing explosive lyrical craft with a powerful instrumental creativity.
On his official website, Swifty will reveal some of his tracks out of his Underestimated CD. If you listen to D12’s lyrical bomber, you sure are gonna remember him. Let’s explore Swifty’s brand new work.
Violin and piano sounds corroborate in 2 Late in a very symphonic way. Swifty exposes wankstas in a very merciless manner. Vengeance is his: observe how he tears fake emcees off lyrically.
Scared is an invite to follow men on the run. Its dark vocal tones, its lyrical slugs will slaughter D Twizzy’s opponents.
I Don’t Care features King Gordy. A harsh instrumental background is the key to Swifty’s nightmarish lyrical composition. He told you that he doesn’t care, so watch your backs. Nobody’s safe in front of the Detroit ghetto player haters.
You Ant Hard enlightens Swifty’s various instrumental compositions that unleash an incredible lyrical power too. It’s an explosion of words, metaphorically speaking it is like the artist’s pen got outta control. Swifty will smash your brains in consciously and mercilessly.
Blow Up is fulfilled with filthy details accompanied by some hot scratches sounds. Amazingly, the club song totally fits into the context, unlike many other club songs.
Crazy exposes loads of insane details. Swifty Mc Vay’s lyrical creativity and speedy flow delivery need to be underlined in any case.
Hood Legend is built on a dramatic chord and symphonic background.
The incredible rhymer Swifty is comes to shine in Diamonds. The rhythmic, musical background reveals tension and danger.
Life features King Gordy again. Toughness and softness alternate.
Don’t ignore the talented emcee, rather check his music here.
Copyright by ©Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved
Check out the hot tracks from Underestimated here. Hopefully I’ll be able to review them soon:)
After finishing a Canadian tour with Royce Da 5′9 and Joe Budden, D12 is preparing to hit Europe next year. Below check out a personal letter from the group to their fans…
Read the original post here.
Dear Fans,
D12’s, Christmas plans to return to European soil after a 4 year hiatus has unfortunately been postponed due to the conflicting work schedules of our supporting artists as well as changes in UK work permit requirements. Apologies to all of you who have been writing to us and bought tickets for these events, we truly relish your support of D12 and we hate to let you down. However we are pleased to announce newly confirmed dates for the tour which will begin mid March 2009 and now includes additional dates in Copenhagen, Vienna and Zurich. The live show will boast exclusive new cuts and material from the rap collective and we will still be performing live with fellow Detroit native and Shady alum Royce Da 5′9″. Newly added to the tour lineup is the wildly popular Canadian rapper Classified plus special guests to be announced shortly. Tickets that were purchased for the original December tour dates will also be valid for the rescheduled dates.
New Dates as follows:
23/03/09 Vienna – The Flex
24/03/09 Zurich – Rohstofflager
26/03/09 Cologne – Luxor
27/03/09 Berlin – Columbia Club
28/03/09 Copenhagen – Pumpehuset
29/03/09 Amsterdam – Melkweg
31/03/09 Manchester – Academy
01/04/09 Glasgow – ABC
02/04/09 Dublin – Tripod
03/04/09 London – Electric Ballroom
D12 have scored four top 5 hits in the UK and will be releasing new cuts from their forthcoming album in early 2009. They will be back in the studio for a brand new album as a collective for release post tour.
Their latest mixtape ‘RETURN OF THE DIRTY DOZEN VOL 1′ features Royce Da 5′9″, King Gordy and more and has had over 166,000 downloads since it was released at the end of summer this year.
www.D12world.com
Read the original article here.
Eminem still lives and records in Detroit, Michigan. The title of his movie 8 Mile refers to the road that divides the city’s poor and rich neighborhoods. He recently published an autobiographical book, The Way I Am.
Don’t call it a comeback.
People can try to reinvent themselves. I don’t think you can really change who you are, though, because who you are is pretty much where you came from and what you’ve done up to now. You can change your image and all that–you can change your fucking clothes, your underwear, your hair color, all that shit–but it’s not going to mean you’re a brand-new person.
You want to say, “I don’t give a fuck what anybody says.” Yeah, you do.
I’m sure people think I’ve vanished off the face of the earth.
I went for nine, ten years straight, without taking a break at all. I needed to rejuvenate.
I’m a T-shirt guy now. But wifebeaters won’t go out of style, not as long as bitches keep mouthing off.
I like it when people talk shit. Because if people weren’t talking shit, there would be nothing for me to come back with. I need that. If I don’t have any ammo, what am I going to say?
There’s obviously a limit to the things you want people to know, but I’ve pretty much put most of it out there. Maybe people don’t know what kind of underwear I wear, what color.
Boxers. Pink.
It’s fun to take a step back and hear other people do it, say shit I wish I would have thought of. I’m still a fan of rap.
When people buy a CD, you don’t get to sit in the car with them and watch their faces and watch their jaws drop.
The guy behind the counter notices me, but I haven’t put an album out in four years. “How you doing Marshall?” “What’s up Em?” You pay for the gas, buy a bag of chips, and leave. But I put a record out, and that same person is going to be behind the counter with a camera and a piece of paper. “Can you sign this?”
It’s not like I’m going to be a prick to everybody I meet. I keep it cool.
You’re not going to say anything about me that I’m not going to say about myself. There’s so many things that I think about myself; if someone really wanted to get at me, they could say this and this and this. So I’m going to say it before they can. It’s the best policy for me.
Trust is hard to come by. That’s why my circle is small and tight. I’m kind of funny about making new friends.
I don’t know where to go to meet a nice girl. If you’ve got any tips, clue me in.
The emotions in a song–the anger, aggression–have got to be legitimate.
When I’m in the studio with Dre, I don’t have to worry about the beat. I can just go. That’s the only thing I got to concentrate on. When I’m trying to produce a song myself, I’m thinking about the high hat. Is it loud enough? The snare drum. Is it clear enough? This piano in the chorus. Is it too loud? That can be time-consuming.
Within the last year, I started learning how to not be so angry about things, learning how to count my fucking blessings instead. By doing that, I’ve become a happier person, instead of all this self-loathing I was doing for a while.
The music, I wouldn’t say it’s gotten happier, but it’s definitely more upbeat. I feel like myself again.
Don’t get me wrong, the aggression will still be there.
I don’t know if I’ve fully accepted Proof’s death, but I think I’ve come to terms with it a little bit, knowing how to cope. There was a good two years that I was pretty down in the fucking dumps. I just lay in bed and stared at the fucking ceiling. One day, I didn’t get up until 7:30 that night.
Not that I don’t guide them at all, because sometimes I do, right from wrong. Hailie’s twelve now, and she still thinks it’s really bad to stick up your middle finger. I think I’m doing pretty good, with what my music is about and being able to raise little girls at the same time.
I would say I’m an excellent dad, not to toot my own horn. Toot.
If you don’t overlook the fact of what you look like, then no one else will. I had a complex back then: If I get booed off stage, it’s probably because I’m white. There comes a time when you gotta stop thinking like that and just be you.
I want to say I’d be a comic-book artist. That was my dream as a kid. I used to paint and draw. If I wouldn’t have had rap, I would have strived to–the past tense of strive, is it stroved?–I would have stroven to do something like that. Who knows? Maybe I would have.
Nobody likes to fail. I want to succeed in everything I do, which isn’t much. But the things that I’m really passionate about, if I fail at those, if I’m not successful, what do I have?
Shit happens. Fucking happens to the best of us. Really does.
Interviewed by Brian Mockenhaupt, September 25, 2008
Global rating of the product: 4.5 stars
D12 is back, ready to stalk the face of the world again with their witty lyrical assault. After the loss of their homie Deshaun Holton better known as Big Proof, many of their enemies prayed for the group’s demise. Little did they know about the group’s powerful mind. D12 is back and Detroit is in the house again. The Return of the Dozen features numerous Detroit talents, including Royce da 5.9, King Gordy, Young Miles, Marv Won, T Flame, Quest Mc Quody, Rock Bottom artists, the beautiful and skilled Monica Blaire, just to name a few…
On a relaxing musical background, the D12 crew announce their come back with a brand new style of their own. Be prepared for some powerful mob music!
Dolo first introduces the CD; soon Swifty and Kuniva will expose their lyrical craft. Any hip hop head should definitely love the track that is built on loud and powerful heartbeat alike drums. D12 is killing it for real.
We Back sounds like an euphoria blossom. Again, Swifty Mc Vay sends powerful lyrical grenades on a soft violin, oboe and piano background. Bizarre goes on, ready to stomp his auditorium. Explosive sounding lyrics will leave haters in a mental state of devastation.
DJ Salam Wreck leads the listeners into the Throw Them Up High atmosphere. What the hell of an atmophere, in which our emcees excel in bringing their skills to light.
A must hear song that totally enlightens Kon Artis, Kuniva and Swifty’s skills is The Drill. The rhythmic, chaotic song based on piano and keyboard sounds. The lyrical effort is obvious, the flow delivery well mastered.
Creep with them in the hood, follow their moves, feel the unsafe ambience of the track.
The crowds of listeners will be mesmerized, for sure.
Cheating In The Bedroom features two brilliant Detroit talents, King Gordy and Monica Blaire. Ready for some bedroom drama. Let King Gordy break it down for you while Monica Blaire’s warm voice is playing with them listeners.
I’m a G features Akon and Maestro. The noisy background totally matches with the 7 Mile scary landscape. Guntalk is law in the hood of the Murder Capital.
If You Want is another powerful track in which Kuniva will amaze you with his well mastered craft. The emcee has a merciless attitude that he intelligenty combines with well thought lyrics and dark vocals. You don’t wanna beef with him, do you? Be ready for war, fellows. Strident keyboard sounds are combined with gun sounds. Big Proof is mentioned in the song.
Swifty Mc Vay is taking over in U Never Know. The talented emcee will expose the hood for you listeners, followed by Bizarre. Welcome to a world in which danger is your daily part. A straight reminder: the hood is a jungle where you can get killed for nothing. Let them D12 emcees amaze you. By the way, Kon Artis’ part needs to be underlined too, because t is incredibly well handled.
Welcome to a Biggie styled song. I’m Gone featuring lets you enter into a bad guy’s mind. He’s giving up, after a life of sins. He’s about to take his life. Who’s gonna have mercy on this rotten soul?
Win Or Lose features King Gordy. Again the song totally enlightens Swifty Mc Vay’s lyrical force. I enjoyed the roughness of his voice, his determined spirit to conquer his audience. King Gordy will guide you into a cosmic, unreal atmosphere with the lighter tones his voice has to offer. I recommend this song for a listen.
Claps, a cadenced piano background…here we are in the 313 with our D 12 crew. I’m From The D has some beautiful sarcastic, hardcore-minded accents.
Suicide features Sindy Sirynge (Bizarre’s wife)…meet a jealous man’s anger while the music makes you feel the tension within the couple. Listen to Sindy Sirynge’s complaint…suicide is on her mind…Bizarre describes human misery with a particular attention to detail.
The song also features RIP Big Proof who brings the song into a new light. The song’s complex, well built.
Globally speaking I enjoyed the whole mixtape. True to the voice of the streets, the D12 emcees came up with their genuine spirit. They put a lot of work into the mixtape that also give voice to great local Detroit talents. I’m glad the Return Of The Dozen allows D12 to illuminate their great individual talent. Word to the haters: D12 can make it- with or without Eminem. Marshall Mathers does in no way obliterate D12’s talent!
From a critical point of view, I have been a little bit disappointed by Plead For Your Life featuring Royce da 5.9. I am used to better Royce skills. However, you can cope the mixtape without hesitation!
Copyright©by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved
hopefully coming soon: The Return Of The Dozen!!!
I’m in the process of downloading the mixtape (thanks to a Detroit homie), so please be patient! Stay tuned:)
Read the original article here.
By Biba Adams
The film, The Dirty Dozen, released in 1967, is about 12 convicts who are asked to team up to complete a secret mission during World War II. Men from different walks of life, they coalesce and achieve their goal, no matter the cost. Not all of them make it out alive, in fact, most of them are killed, but the mission was accomplished.
This was the premise that Big Proof had in mind when he walked through the now legendary, Detroit Hip Hop Shop and whispered in the ears of the hottest MCs. He was going to form a rap crew of the best that the city had to offer and present it to the world; that was the mission. However, it soon proved difficult to get and keep 12 men together as a group.
Time and circumstance would eventually turn The Dirty Dozen into the D12 that we know today, six men each with two personalities: Proof/Derty Harry, Eminem/Slim Shady, Bizarre/Peter S. Bizarre, Kon Artis/ Mr. Porter, Kuniva/Rondell Beene, Swift/ Swifty McVay.
With time, Shady Records grew into a brand. Eminem was its founder and flagship artist, D12 was holding its own with successful albums and touring, despite their reputations as the labels resident Bad Boys. “D12 was like a testing ground for Shady Records,” says Kuniva. “They would bring an artist around us first to see how we got along, if they could hang with us, they would sign them.” Eventually Obie Trice would be introduced to the world with good results but not before the signing of 50 Cent to Shady/Aftermath would create a legend.
Through all the ups and downs, D-Twizzie would remain solid and successful until the early morning hours of April 11, 2006 when their group would fracture and their lives would change, forever. DeShaun Dewitt Holton, best known as Proof, died after an altercation with Keith Bender, a fellow Detroiter and an Army veteran who was celebrating his recovery from a heart problem. While the circumstances of the night remain unclear, the result was devastating. When the smoke cleared, Proof lay on the floor of CCC Nightclub, dead; and Keith Bender, who would die a week later from his injuries, had been shot in the face.
In the last two years, little has been heard from D12 or Eminem, who lost his best friend and hype man. They have done very few interviews, however, rumors abound about Em’s weight, his health, and his relationship with the crew that once joked that they were not his “band.” But, finally, The Dirty Dozen are ready to return to the world of Hip-Hop with new music, a new tour, and a new lease on life.
The Return of the Dozen features appearances by stellar Detroit MCs. Hosted by outstanding up comer DJ Young Mase, the mixtape also shows the growth of D12 as a group with the track, “Plead for Your Life” which features former friend, turned enemy, turned friend, again; Royce Da 5’9”. The project does have verses from Proof and Eminem, contrary to some reports. AllHipHop.com sat down with Kuniva, Swift, and Bizarre to discuss The Return of the Dozen mixtape and the future of D12.
AllHipHop.com: So, what’s up, guys?
Bizarre: Chilling. Finishing up the mixtape, staying focused. Getting ready to get back on the road.
AllHipHop.com: Are you going to be touring?
Swift: Yeah. We are going on the road to promote the mixtape, we leave at the end of May. We’re ready to get our names back out there, get back to work. Releasing that energy, being in front of our fans again, we need that. To pick ourselves back up and get back out there. This is like the stretch before the big workout.
AllHipHop.com: And what’s ‘the big workout’, your studio album?
Kuniva: Everybody knows that a D12 album follows an Eminem album. That’s the way it is. But, we felt that we needed to do something to get our names back out there. To reconnect with our fans, so we are releasing this mixtape.
Swift: It also gives us a chance to show our work ethic and that we can create opportunities for ourselves.
AllHipHop.com: With the changes in the industry are you a little nervous about getting back out there?
Swift: I wouldn’t say nervous, the style that we have is second nature. We never get deterred by what somebody else is doing.
Bizarre: We aren’t conforming to anything, our style is so us. We gotta pay attention to what people like but D12 is just a different type of grain.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think you guys are overly criticized for the style of rap that you have?
Kuniva: I mean, we aren’t the most hated on, but we hear it. Our mindset right now is to show and prove, a lot of people discount us because we are sometimes overshadowed by Em. We are always overshadowed by Em. S**t, it’s hard to keep up with Em on a track. Who hasn’t Em sh***ed on, on a record?
AllHipHop.com: Do you think you get a lot of criticism even from Detroit?
Bizarre: What I really hate is when somebody asks a Detroit rapper about D12 or Eminem, they act like what we do ain’t really Detroit; when we put this [city] on our backs. We have sacrificed a lot to represent Detroit and we deserve that respect.
Kuniva: We are all from Detroit. We are all from the same streets. We don’t rap about just guns and drugs. We rap about it, but we put it in a different light. I’m not gonna say, I sold this and I snorted that, because I didn’t. But, we are all still from Detroit. We all still been through the same drama, the same bulls**t.
AllHipHop.com: How has it been recovering for you guys since Proof was killed?
Swift: There is definitely a void there. We can be just chilling, playing with our kids, or hanging out kicking it with each other, and it will just hit us, that void, and it hurts. It might hurt for five minutes, it might last for a few hours or for a day, but we have to get back up and keep going.
Kuniva: It doesn’t hurt as bad as it did the first year, but it still hurts, you just have to recover from it, but we are still scarred. Everybody loses somebody close to them, but he was so many things to us; a leader, a brother. So, it’s hard just doing this rap thing when the main reason for us to do it was for us to do it all together.
Bizarre: I am just glad that he left us with some many memories. He basically fulfilled all of his dreams and he left a lot of good memories, and a legacy.
AllHipHop.com: How is Eminem?
Kuniva: He’s good, you know? Better. He’s recovering. It’s hard everyday and he was really sick when he got pneumonia, so you know, it was like a string of bad luck. But he is doing a lot better. I see him every other day. He’s working on his album. He’s right across the street, working. I know that sounds like a political answer, but he is. He’s not over there looking like Chris Farley. He is doing good and he is across the street working on his album. I could be more specific and say he’s scratching his balls, but I don’t know all that.
AllHipHop.com: [laughs] Anything else people should know about the Dozen?
Kuniva: No matter what we are always going to be The Dirty Dozen. I read a lot of real heartless s**t, on blogs and message boards, like, “It’s 2 of them n***as dead, they should be D8.” Real cold s**t. But, even if it’s just one of us left…that n***a will still be D12.
Bad Behavior has blocked 1642 access attempts in the last 7 days.
Recent Comments