D12

Wherever rapper Eminem goes, controversy and headlines are sure to follow. With so many people unsure about whether to love him or hate him, five young rappers have decided to join him on his latest project, D12. Also known as the Dirty Dozen, D12 is a sextet of Detroit-based rappers -- all between the ages of 23 and 25. Members Bizarre, Swift, Kon Artis, Proof, and Kuniva claim they are "here to bring the sick, the obscene, the disgusting." With this agenda in tow, D12 could prove to be the sequel to the controversial parade that Eminem started with the explicit lyrics on his solo album Slim Shady (UNI/Interscope Records, 1999) and the in-your-face single "Way I Am" (2000, UNI/Interscope Records).
D12's 2001 debut album, Devil's Night (Interscope/Shady Records), had potential to cause some waves, with the inclusion of their raucous 2000 single, "Shit on You." After a three-year wait, D12 returned with 2004's D12 World, including guest appearances from Obie Trice and B Real. D12 was originally founded by members Bizarre and Proof around 1990, but the size and scope of the group expanded when Proof brought in childhood friend Eminem (it turns out that the pair grew up near each other, but went to different high schools) and the rest of the gang. Along their quest to stir the already controversy-infested waters of ap, all five members come complete with aliases, while each of them bears a tattoo of the name of former D12 member, Bugz, who was gunned down at a picnic party.

