However, it was as a solo artist that D12 member Eminem found success. All of the members of D12 have aliases and Eminem chose Slim Shady as his. Eminem was formerly in a group called Soul Intent along with Proof before leaving and forming with D12.
Eminem's success persuaded Proof to establish D12 on a more permanent basis in early 1999. Bizarre, Eminem, Kon Artis, Bugz, and Kuniva were recruited to join the group. Kuniva and Kon Artis were previously part of Da Brigade. However, Bugz passed away in Detroit on May 21, 1999 because of a gun incident at a picnic that turned into a shooting, leading to Kuniva proposing Swift take Bugz's place. Each of the members of the crew wears a tattoo of Bugz's name in his honor. The tracks Good Die Young and Bugz 97 (the latter of which features an appearance from Bugz) on D12 World are also in his memory.
The six members of D12 signed a contract with Eminem's Shady Records and Interscope in 2000. The fact that D12 rose to prominence after Eminem led many people to assume that the other members had less significance in the group - this would be the concept of the group's 2004 hit single My Band. They also made the song to adress the common using of Eminem featuring D12.
Despite Eminem's prominence in the music industry, D12 insists that there is no frontman in the group and that Eminem is just another member. In spite of this, D12 recently began to tour as a separate entity to Eminem, a controversial move that could lead to confusion among concert-goers who may believe they are paying to see Eminem as well as the other five performers.
Sadly, early morning on April 11, 2006, Proof was shot and killed at a Detroit-area nightclub. Proof, real name DeShaun Holton, was 32 years old. Proof was also one of Eminem's best friends and will be missed by fans and friends.
History
Early career and The Underground EP (1996–1998)
In 1997, they released their debut extended play, The Underground EP, which was recorded between 1996 and 1997. In 1997 and 1998, its members began establishing reputations locally. Bizarre was named Inner City Entertainment's "Flava of the Week" and went on to release an album, Attack of the Weirdos. Along with Eminem, Rah Digga and Young Zee, he became an honorary member of The Outsidaz. Proof won a freestyling competition run by The Source. In 1999, Bugz released These Streets EP, and made several appearances on other rappers' songs.
Around the time of Eminem's first record deal, Proof attempted to revive D12. He managed to recruit local Detroit hip hop duo Da Brigade, composed of Kuniva, a local MC, and Mr. Porter, a longtime friend of Eminem and Proof. At the time, Porter was the group's producer (he later produced Eminem's first album, Infinite), but Kuniva persuaded him to join the group as an artist. Later the group was joined by Bugz, and Bugz introduced his longtime friend Swift, who at the time was a member of rap duo Da Rabeez.
Death of Bugz (1999)
On May 21, 1999, Bugz was shot and killed at a picnic. One of his final acts had been a request that Swift join the group. Eminem volunteered to replace Bugz; this led to him rejoining the group. Mr. Obnoxious, his first solo album, was released in February 2000 after his death. D12's first album, Devil's Night, is dedicated to him.
Devil's Night, D12 World and appearances without Eminem (2000–2005)
Their debut album, Devil's Night, referring to the tradition of setting unoccupied buildings on fire the night before Halloween, was released in June 2001. It debuted at number one on the U.S. and number two on the UK chart, also reaching the top of the Canadian charts. Devil's Night went on to sell four million albums worldwide and two million in the U.S. In 2021, the album was rereleased digitally as an expanded edition to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its release which featured three bonus tracks, an unreleased freestyle, the a cappella version of "Shit On You" and the instrumentals to "Shit On You", "Purple Pills", "Fight Music" and "Blow My Buzz".
In August 2001, D12 and Esham were kicked off the Warped Tour after members of the group physically attacked Esham over the lyrics of his song "Chemical Imbalance", which contained a reference to Eminem's daughter. Eminem was not present during the tour. D12 World was released on April 27, 2004, featuring production by Dr. Dre, Eminem, Porter and Kanye West, and guest appearances by Obie Trice on the track "Loyalty" and B-Real of Cypress Hill on the track "American Psycho II". It debuted at the top of the U.S., UK, and Australian albums charts, and at number two in Germany—selling over half a million records in its first week of release in the U.S. alone. "My Band", the album's first single, also reached number one in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. rhythmic top forty, the top five in the UK[9] and Germany, and the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.
D12 was eclipsed by Eminem's success, touring without him to promote their second album while he recorded Encore. D12 members Bizarre and Proof managed mildly successful solo careers with the releases of Hannicap Circus and Searching for Jerry Garcia in 2005. D12 performed live, without Eminem, at the House of Blues in Chicago to promote both albums. That concert was released on DVD in 2005 as D12: Live in Chicago. D12, without Eminem, performed on the track "She-Devil" of Tech N9ne's 2002 album Absolute Power. They recorded "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" for Eminem's album Recovery but the song wasn't included on the album. It was eventually included on an Eminem mixtape Straight from the Lab Part 2 in 2011.
Death of Proof and Eminem Presents: The Re-Up (2006)
On April 11, 2006, Proof "pistol-whipped an unarmed man and shot him in the head", and was in turn fatally shot by the man's cousin. On December 5, 2006, Shady Records released Eminem Presents: The Re-Up which featured performances by Eminem, D12, 50 Cent, Obie Trice, Stat Quo, Bobby Creekwater and Cashis while affiliated artists such as Lloyd Banks, Akon and Nate Dogg, made guest appearances. Some tracks were collaborative performances from D12 members, such as "Murder" by Bizarre and Kuniva and "Whatever You Want" by Swifty McVay and Mr. Porter. The track "Trapped" by Proof included an intro by Eminem paying his final respects saying, "Big Proof, rest in peace dudey we love you. We just wanna keep making you proud."
Member changes, hiatus, mixtapes and comeback (2007–2013)
After four years of inactivity D12 released a new mixtape Return of the Dozen Vol. 1 (2008), without Eminem who was working on his solo album Relapse. There were solo performances by D12 members such as Kuniva's "If You Want It", similar to Eminem's solo performance "Girls" on Devil's Night. The mixtape Return of the Dozen Vol. 2 (2011) followed three years later. It featured Fuzz Scoota, an original member of D12 who left in 1999. Eminem performed on one track. Because Eminem was on tour promoting Recovery with Mr. Porter his hype man D12 had only four active members, Bizarre, Kuniva, Fuzz and Swift.[citation needed] D12 performed at the Kanrocksas Music Festival on August 5, 2011. The track, "Outro", off the Return of the Dozen Vol. 2 mixtape, had a music video released on September 1, 2011, though the video did not feature either Eminem or Mr. Porter. The group also stated intentions to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the Devils Night album, though the celebration was held on the actual Devil's Night on October 30 in Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit, Michigan, even though the album was released months earlier on June 19, 2001. In 2012 Bizarre left D12, citing creative differences, and Mr. Porter left to pursue a solo career, leaving D12 with four members. Asked about the group's status in 2012, Kuniva replied that it's "not over, we're still coming. However, when Mr. Porter was asked in 2013 about a possible new D12 album he responded "Not happening bro sorry".
Bizarre and Kon Artis rejoin, Shady XV, unreleased third studio album and The Devil's Night Mixtape (2014–2015)
In January 2014, Mark Bass of the Bass Brothers confirmed that D12 had been recently recording at the F.B.T. studio and he had been mixing their recorded material. He also confirmed that Eminem was featured on at least three songs that had been completed. February 2014, Bizarre confirmed that he was back in the group and that D12 would be releasing their third studio album during 2014. On August 25, 2014, a press release on Eminem's official website also revealed D12 to be featured on the label's upcoming 2-disc compilation album, titled Shady XV. The album, released on November 24, 2014, featured one greatest hits disc and one disc with new material from a variety of Shady Records recording artists including D12. The new D12 song was entitled "Bane", which features the return of Kon Artis and was also produced by him. The song did not feature Eminem or returning member Fuzz Scoota.
On August 18, 2015, D12 confirmed on Tim Westwood TV that they had already recorded a large number of songs for the album and will release it "when the time is right."[25] On October 1, 2015, it was announced that D12 would be releasing a new mixtape, The Devil's Night Mixtape was released on October 30, 2015, and it featured Lazarus, King Gordy, Royce da 5'9", Bizarre, Swifty McVay, Kuniva and Mr. Porter. It also included a freestyle by Eminem for its introduction although he wasn't present on any other tracks throughout the whole mixtape. It was hosted by DJ Whoo Kid.
Solo careers, collaborative works and breakup (2017–2018)
In 2017, D12 had been focusing on their respective solo careers. On February 17, Swifty McVay released his debut album Grey Blood. Bizarre released his new mixtape Tweek Sity 2,in addition to working on collaborations with other artists such as Riff Raff, King Gordy and Qom Qazamah respectively. Swifty McVay and Kuniva are currently working on their collaboration album, titled My Brother's Keeper. On August 31, 2018, Eminem released a song titled "Stepping Stone" on his album Kamikaze. On it, Eminem announced that D12 was officially broken up due to the death of Proof.
01. Git Up
D12 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ready or not, here we come, here comes trouble in the club
Eleven, twelve, thirteen, pistols big as M-16s
How the fuck we sneak in with this many heaters in our jeans?
Nina, two ninas a piece, they don't even see us
Some shit pops off we squeeze each one, they're gonna think it's machine guns
Vandals-vo-vandals, bananas and old flannels
Hands around our Colt handles, hold them like Roman candles
Who come back all bananas, banana clips loaded
Managers, bouncers, and the club owners
The motherfuckers don't want us to come up, bum rush in the club
And run up in it with a bunch of motherfuckers from Runyon
Steady popping them onions
Ready, set to go nut up, prepare to tear the whole club up
Fixing to get into some shit, just itching to choke someone up
You know we finna loc'n when we mix Coke with coconut rum up
So, yeah, yeah, ho, what up? See my people posted up
See you talk that ho shit now, when you're down you won't get up
And can't sit up you're so slit up, the ambulance won't sew you up
They just throw you up in the trunk once they tag your big toe up
Heater-no-heater, automatic-no-matic
Mag or no mag, it don't matter if I have or don't have it
You never know when I'm packing so you just don't want no static
And open up a whole can of whoop ass
You don't wanna chance to risk it, no biscuit
Milli mac or mac milli
Will he, won't he, don't be silly, homie you don't know me really
You're just gonna make yourself dizzy wonderin' what the dealy
Fuck it, let's just get busy D-Twizzy's back in the hizzy
Get up now, let's get it cracking, yeah, it's on and poppin'
Bitch, D12 is back in this bitch, ugh, there ain't no stoppin'
We're gonna get it crackalating, what you waiting for?
The wait is over, say no more, quit tryna play the wall and quit hatin'
Get up now, y'all are still sitting? What the fuck, are you deaf?
You motherfuckers don't listen I said
We 'bout to get this motherfucker crackalatin'
Quit procrastinatin', what the fuck you waitin' for?
Get off the wall and quit hatin', bitch
Get up now
I keep a shitload of bullets, I pitbull it to pull it out
And automatically explode on motherfuckers until they mouth get closed
Permanently, you get burned to line quickly
You cannot hit me niggas, too terrified to come get me
Tempt me if you think Swifty won't send a slug, people run
When the reaper comes, the repercussion gon' equal blood
Nigga what? Steppin' without a weapon, you leave, you gone
I be still rollin' with stolen toasters while on parole
Snatch you out our home like eviction notices, ho
When I unload, I'm known to never leave witnesses to roam
When I'm blowed, I'll write the wickedest scroll ever told
When I'm sober, I'm prone to roll up and disconnect your soul, nigga
Now it's been proven it's about to be a misunderstandin'
And furniture movin', bullets flyin', lawyers and mothers suin'
'Cause niggas don't know the difference, you bitches just stick to fiction
It's sickening, you can't even walk in my jurisdiction
Riffin' and rippin' the pump
And who wanna fuck with a walking psychopathic pyromaniac
Shady cats with eighty gats
And maybe that's the reason that you gon' get it the worst
And since you jumpin' in front of everybody you gon' get it first
I disperse the crowd with something bigger and versatile
So run and record your verses now while you got a mouth
And it's not a joke, it's some kind of riddle
Kunizzle will lift up a 12 gizzle and throw a party from my acquittal
And a Glock that you will stop you from walking
Bullets'll hit your liver, I'll even shoot Native Americans
A Indian giver, and nigga
We back in your life and back in your wife
Hit you in your back with a knife and get it crackin' tonight
Get up now, let's get it cracking, yeah, it's on and poppin'
Bitch, D12 is back in this bitch, ugh, there ain't no stoppin'
We're gonna get it crackalating, what you waiting for?
The wait is over, say no more, quit tryna play the wall and quit hatin'
Get up now, y'all are still sitting? What the fuck, are you deaf?
You motherfuckers don't listen I said
We 'bout to get this motherfucker crackalatin'
Quit procrastinatin', what the fuck you waitin' for?
Get off the wall and quit hatin', bitch
Get up now
Yeah
D12
We back
(Get up now)
Runyon Ave soldiers
Amityville
Who the fuck want it with us?
Nobody
The song “Git Up” by D12 is a fast-paced, hard-hitting track that signifies the group’s arrival in the club ready for trouble. The lyrics describe their aggressive mentality, expressing the fact that they have come equipped with guns and are ready for any altercation that may arise. The first verse provides a countdown to their arrival and explains how they plan to approach the situation. The second verse includes rhyming couplets that reiterate their violent intentions, including their tendency to carry guns for protection. The final verse takes on a more confrontational tone, warning those in the club that they don’t want any problems with the group.
The lyrics of “Git Up” convey the aggression and bravado that is often associated with gang culture. The line “how the fuck we sneak in with this many heaters in our jeans?” suggests that the group is not afraid to break the law and carry weapons into the club. The references to guns and violence in the lyrics underscore the notion that D12 is not just a rap group, but a gang of “Runyon Ave soldiers” who are ready to take on anyone who comes against them. Overall, the song is a testament to the group’s willingness to fight to protect their reputation and their way of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one
Countdown to something about to happen
Ready or not, here we come, here comes trouble in the club
We're making our presence known in the club
Eleven, twelve, thirteen, pistols big as M-16s
We have multiple large guns with us
How the fuck we sneak in with this many heaters in our jeans?
We're questioning how we were able to sneak large guns into the club
Nina, two ninas a piece, they don't even see us
We have a lot of guns and they're not even visible
Some shit pops off we squeeze each one, they're gonna think it's machine guns
If we shoot our guns, it will sound like machine guns
Vandals-vo-vandals, bananas and old flannels
We have a tough and rebellious image
Hands around our Colt handles, hold them like Roman candles
We're holding our guns tightly
So ban us, go ban us, banana-fanna-fo-fannas
We don't care if we get kicked out of the club, we're still tough
Who come back all bananas, banana clips loaded
We'll come back even tougher with fully loaded guns
Managers, bouncers, and the club owners
People in charge of the club don't want us there
The motherfuckers don't want us to come up, bum rush in the club
We're not welcome in the club, but we're going to force our way in
And run up in it with a bunch of motherfuckers from Runyon
We have tough people from our neighborhood with us
Steady popping them onions
We're ready to fight and make things happen
Ready, set to go nut up, prepare to tear the whole club up
We're ready to fight and cause chaos in the club
Fixing to get into some shit, just itching to choke someone up
We're looking for trouble and are ready to fight
You know we finna loc'n when we mix Coke with coconut rum up
We get excited and crazy when we mix Coke and coconut rum
So, yeah, yeah, ho, what up? See my people posted up
We're greeting people and want to show that we have people with us
See you talk that ho shit now, when you're down you won't get up
People who talk tough won't be able to back it up
And can't sit up you're so slit up, the ambulance won't sew you up
If you get hurt, it will be severe and the ambulance may not be able to help you
They just throw you up in the trunk once they tag your big toe up
If you die, they won't care and will just throw you in the trunk of a car
Heater-no-heater, automatic-no-matic
We don't care what kind of gun we have, as long as we have one
Mag or no mag, it don't matter if I have or don't have it
We don't care about the details of the gun, as long as we have one
You never know when I'm packing so you just don't want no static
We keep our guns a secret and don't want any trouble
And open up a whole can of whoop ass
We're ready to fight and beat someone up
You don't wanna chance to risk it, no biscuit
Don't take any chances with us
Milli mac or mac milli
We're talking about different types of guns
Will he, won't he, don't be silly, homie you don't know me really
Don't underestimate us, you don't know who we are
You're just gonna make yourself dizzy wonderin' what the dealy
Don't waste your time trying to understand us
Fuck it, let's just get busy D-Twizzy's back in the hizzy
We're ready to start something and D-Twizzy is with us
Get up now, let's get it cracking, yeah, it's on and poppin'
We're ready to start fighting and cause chaos
Bitch, D12 is back in this bitch, ugh, there ain't no stoppin'
We're back and ready to cause trouble, nothing can stop us
We're gonna get it crackalating, what you waiting for?
We're ready to cause chaos, what are you waiting for?
The wait is over, say no more, quit tryna play the wall and quit hatin'
We're done waiting and want to start trouble, don't be scared and join us
I keep a shitload of bullets, I pitbull it to pull it out
I have a lot of bullets and am quick to use them
And automatically explode on motherfuckers until they mouth get closed
I'll keep shooting until someone is dead or quiet
Permanently, you get burned to line quickly
If I shoot you, it will be fatal
You cannot hit me niggas, too terrified to come get me
You're too scared to fight me
Tempt me if you think Swifty won't send a slug, people run
Don't tempt me, Swifty (one of us) will shoot you and people will run away
When the reaper comes, the repercussion gon' equal blood
When death comes, there will be bloodshed
Nigga what? Steppin' without a weapon, you leave, you gone
If you're not armed, you won't make it out alive
I be still rollin' with stolen toasters while on parole
I'm still carrying guns despite being on parole
Snatch you out our home like eviction notices, ho
We'll forcefully remove you from our space if we need to
When I unload, I'm known to never leave witnesses to roam
If I shoot someone, I'll make sure there are no witnesses
When I'm blowed, I'll write the wickedest scroll ever told
When I'm high, I'll come up with crazy ideas
When I'm sober, I'm prone to roll up and disconnect your soul, nigga
When I'm not high, I'm still dangerous and can hurt you
Now it's been proven it's about to be a misunderstandin'
There's going to be a problem
And furniture movin', bullets flyin', lawyers and mothers suin'
There will be a fight and people will get hurt, there may be legal consequences
'Cause niggas don't know the difference, you bitches just stick to fiction
People don't understand us, they should stick to their own business
It's sickening, you can't even walk in my jurisdiction
You can't handle our area, it's too dangerous
Riffin' and rippin' the pump
We're getting ready to shoot our guns
And who wanna fuck with a walking psychopathic pyromaniac
Who would want to mess with someone crazy and dangerous like us?
Shady cats with eighty gats
We're dangerous people with guns
And maybe that's the reason that you gon' get it the worst
You'll regret messing with us
And since you jumpin' in front of everybody you gon' get it first
You're making yourself a target by trying to act tough
I disperse the crowd with something bigger and versatile
I'll scare people and make them run away with a bigger gun
So run and record your verses now while you got a mouth
You should focus on making music while you still have a voice
And it's not a joke, it's some kind of riddle
We're serious and unpredictable
Kunizzle will lift up a 12 gizzle and throw a party from my acquittal
One of us will shoot a gun and celebrate after not getting caught
And a Glock that you will stop you from walking
We have a gun that will seriously hurt or kill you
Bullets'll hit your liver, I'll even shoot Native Americans
We'll shoot you and even Native Americans
A Indian giver, and nigga
We're not afraid to do whatever we want
We back in your life and back in your wife
We're back and causing trouble in your life and relationships
Hit you in your back with a knife and get it crackin' tonight
We'll stab you and start fighting tonight
D12
We're a group of people who are tough and unpredictable
We back
We're back and causing trouble
(Get up now)
Don't wait, join us now
Runyon Ave soldiers
We're from the Runyon Avenue neighborhood and are tough
Amityville
We're from the Amityville area, which has a dangerous reputation
Who the fuck want it with us?
Who's ready to fight us?
Nobody
No one wants to fight us
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Marshall B. III Mathers, Ondre C. Moore, Luis Edgardo Resto, Von M. Carlisle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hardcorejunkie
I keep a shitload of bullets, I pitbull it to pull it out
And automatically explode on motherfuckers until they mouth get closed
Permanently, you get burned to line quickly
You cannot hit me niggas, too terrified to come get me
Tempt me if you think Swifty won't send a slug, people run
When the reaper comes, the repercussion gon' equal blood
Nigga what? Steppin' without a weapon, you leave, you gone
I be still rollin' with stolen toasters while on parole
Snatch you out our home like eviction notices, ho
When I unload, I'm known to never leave witnesses to roam
When I'm blowed, I'll write the wickedest scroll ever told
When I'm sober, I'm prone to roll up and disconnect your soul, nigga
@waynewillberforce
Whos blazing 💨🔥to this in 2024?heater no heater quit lacking get it crackalatin 💨💨💨🔥🔥🔥👑kings d12 r.I.p Proff
@geoffreywitt7281
One of the greatest intro tracks ever. This album really deserved way more love than it got
@XzarriusAncient
Yea you right this a classic album pure from one of the greatest groups ya dig
@user-pb8je9rm6w
This rap song should always get a Grammy every year.
@HanTheHippy
This song still lives rent free in my brain nearly 20 years later. Still sounds fresh.
@LeeMiller-zw3of
WEST conjunctionmeent.
@rusevsauve5111
Man I MISS THESE DAYS!!!! D12 FOREVER!!!! R.I.P PROOF 2024
@icecreampimpdeux
I mean it's been 12 years and I still haven't heard anyone enter a track as hard as Eminem does on here
@sararezzaie7607
But from em himself
@user-fs1py5rx1n
Fr