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.
911 (ft. Gorillaz
D12 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gorillaz
Back the fuck up
D12
(Proof)
There ain't no trouble in rock (rock)
On every block (block)
But ahead of these cops (cops)
My credit is shock, in the detinate box (box)
Like, people take my life and thats pathetic as Pac's (Pac's)
A waste of the talent, Say my boys is just no where
Placed on the planet, remain in poisonous warfare
Derelict Arabic terrorists in the air
Shit arrogant apparent to punish people by their heritage,
Nato barriers, Hate embarrassed
There is the faith to cherish
In your room face to face with race awareness
A race to shit army bombin' your God is with you
Calm over war, we gotta start our pistol
Cause if you right and, know you right, then where's your ritious ways
We sacrafice, snatch your life, many nights and days
Follow me into equality we might behave
And only christ can say the trife will reunite again
(Kuniva)
America Owns, Without a fucking care in my dome
Bearin' my bones, so far away staring at home
Stay at my zone, falling asleep late with my chrome
Feelin' hype from these rockets burning like straightenin' in the cones
Stay at the streets, bullshit and plans to beef
Spray at your peeps for Christmas, give a K to my niece
Real nigga's feel us and fear us
Gorillaz beat on they chest when
Dangerous lyricist, I hope that you hear us
The spirit of Bugz is still in me
God bless it the trinity
Cause my bullets they come in three's like trilogy's
Put the knife away, missles away strike and blaze
So much smoke you can't tell the difference between night and day
Right away blow your life away, so light your haze
Hold tight grenede's so when it blows I'm slightly grazed
Kuniva might be crazed unleashin' unlikely rage
The next time you hear a verse from me I might be caged
(Gorillaz)
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
(Bizarre)
Everynight I talk to a black hawk, taking herion in bulks
Watch my body hit the chalks
I'm too lazy, mescalines got me crazy
Rape this old lady, while the bitch was having a baby
And I ain't never going home, Bizarre can for go
It's cold I'll be for cyphering, right from wrong
As I sit in my seat and remain calm
And close my eyes and wait for the bomb (There it comes!)
(Swifty)
I'm gettin' the fuck on, I'm aggrivated
I know I'll make it, Im in a place full of hatred
Treatin' my life like a sacrred
Try to check me, I break your neck
Disrespect me you get injected
It's hectic with some bullshit that happen
You least expected
We just don't accept it nigga
I go ahead, lift my trigger
Get rid of bitches, pay you a visit, then get your shit lit
I'm a nitwit with a big dick, and big balls
I don't miss shit
I hit all, whoever that did this
We Gonna Getch'all
(Gorillaz)
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
(Kon Artis)
Yo, yo
Now whether its Sadam or Bin Laden
Thats been startin all this trouble for us
Creepin horrors doin show after show, sleepin on the tour bus
We lost Aaliyah, lost our families, it takes no Tenges
You dont need us to say the world is fucked up dawgs can see it
Now it seems the public needs this shit to calm its kids
Cuz they findin out how you lied about your twisted sins
They say we bad for you but shit our music is your friend
They cant deter you from the truth cause we the helping hand
(Terry Hall)
We are one, and one is all
We are, We are, we are one
And one is all
(Gorillaz)
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
Aaaahhhiyyyaaaahaahiyahiyah
Ahhhayayayayayayah
The lyrics to D12's song "911" featuring Gorillaz is a political commentary on the state of the world in the early 2000s. The song is about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the war on terrorism, and the state of the world in general. The songwriters express their frustration with the fact that the world is in constant turmoil, and no one seems to be able to do anything about it. The songwriters also express their anger at the terrorists who carry out these attacks and the politicians who fail to address the root causes of these issues. Furthermore, the songwriters pay tribute to the late Aaliyah and Bugz, who are important to them.
The lyrics express a sense of hopelessness and despair, but they also contain a call to action. The songwriters encourage people to take action and make a difference in the world. The lyrics also suggest that change is possible if people work together to make it happen.
Overall, the lyrics to "911" are a powerful critique of the state of the world and a call to action for people to make a difference. The song is an example of how music can be used to express political ideas and motivate people to take action.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no trouble in rock (rock)
There is no problem in the music industry
On every block (block)
In every neighborhood
Late for School, Late for Work
Running late for school or work
But ahead of these cops (cops)
But trying to avoid getting caught by the police
My credit is shock, in the detinate box (box)
My reputation is ruined, like being trapped in a box that's about to explode
Like, people take my life and thats pathetic as Pac's (Pac's)
People try to take my life, which is just as sad as the death of Tupac Shakur
A waste of the talent, Say my boys is just no where
It's a waste of our talent if people don't recognize what we're capable of
Placed on the planet, remain in poisonous warfare
We're stuck living in a dangerous world
Derelict Arabic terrorists in the air
There are terrorists in the Middle East
Shit arrogant apparent to punish people by their heritage,
It's wrong to discriminate or punish people based on their ethnicity
Nato barriers, Hate embarrassed
There are barriers and hate between nations
There is the faith to cherish
We should hold onto our faith and beliefs
In your room face to face with race awareness
Confronting racial issues on a personal level
A race to shit army bombin' your God is with you
War is destructive and can cause people to question their faith
Calm over war, we gotta start our pistol
We need to find peace instead of resorting to violence
Cause if you right and, know you right, then where's your ritious ways
If you believe you're right, why aren't you acting in a moral way?
We sacrafice, snatch your life, many nights and days
People are willing to take lives and make sacrifices in war
Follow me into equality we might behave
If we work together to create equality, we may be able to live in peace
And only christ can say the trife will reunite again
Only God knows if there will ever be peace again
America Owns, Without a fucking care in my dome
America is powerful and doesn't seem to care about individuals
Bearin' my bones, so far away staring at home
Being far from home can be difficult
Stay at my zone, falling asleep late with my chrome
Staying in his area, protecting himself with a gun
Feelin' hype from these rockets burning like straightenin' in the cones
Getting excited from the sound of rockets, like the feeling of speeding in a car
Stay at the streets, bullshit and plans to beef
Living on the streets, dealing with arguments and fights
Spray at your peeps for Christmas, give a K to my niece
Using a gun to shoot his enemies, buying a gun as a gift for his family
Real nigga's feel us and fear us
People who are real or tough can understand and respect us
Gorillaz beat on they chest when
Gorillaz express their strength and power
Dangerous lyricist, I hope that you hear us
D12 is a group with dangerous and impactful lyrics
The spirit of Bugz is still in me
The legacy of a deceased member of the group lives on through their music
God bless it the trinity
The power of the Holy Trinity is appreciated
Cause my bullets they come in three's like trilogy's
His shots are deadly and come in threes
Put the knife away, missles away strike and blaze
Switching from knives to missiles, causing major damage
So much smoke you can't tell the difference between night and day
The smoke from the attack makes it hard to distinguish between day and night
Right away blow your life away, so light your haze
Taking someone's life immediately, so you might as well smoke marijuana to calm down
Hold tight grenede's so when it blows I'm slightly grazed
Holding onto the grenade so he's only slightly injured when it explodes
Kuniva might be crazed unleashin' unlikely rage
Kuniva may seem crazy and out of control, unleashing unexpected anger
The next time you hear a verse from me I might be caged
He might end up in jail before he can record another verse
Everynight I talk to a black hawk, taking herion in bulks
He has a drug addiction and talks to a helicopter at night
Watch my body hit the chalks
He expects to die soon
I'm too lazy, mescalines got me crazy
He's too lazy to quit drugs, which is driving him crazy
Rape this old lady, while the bitch was having a baby
He did a terrible, unforgivable act of violence
And I ain't never going home, Bizarre can for go
He doesn't plan on returning home and will give up his name (Bizarre)
It's cold I'll be for cyphering, right from wrong
He may seem cold and heartless, but he knows what's right and wrong
As I sit in my seat and remain calm
He's trying to stay calm while talking about his crimes
And close my eyes and wait for the bomb (There it comes!)
He's ready to face the consequences of his actions
I'm gettin' the fuck on, I'm aggrivated
He's leaving and annoyed
I know I'll make it, Im in a place full of hatred
He's confident he can succeed, despite being surrounded by hate
Treatin' my life like a sacrred
He values his life and takes it seriously
Try to check me, I break your neck
If someone tries to confront him, he'll become physical and violent
Disrespect me you get injected
If someone disrespects him, he'll hurt them
It's hectic with some bullshit that happen
Things are crazy and unpredictable
You least expected
You wouldn't have predicted it
We just don't accept it nigga
They won't tolerate the negativity or disrespect
I go ahead, lift my trigger
He's ready to shoot his gun
Get rid of bitches, pay you a visit, then get your shit lit
He'll eliminate his enemies and cause destruction
I'm a nitwit with a big dick, and big balls
He's foolish and overly confident
I don't miss shit
He doesn't make mistakes
I hit all, whoever that did this
He hurts anyone who crosses him
We Gonna Getch'all
They're coming to get their enemies
Now whether its Sadam or Bin Laden
Whether it's Saddam or Bin Laden
Thats been startin all this trouble for us
The people causing problems for us
Creepin horrors doin show after show, sleepin on the tour bus
Their lives as performers involves a lot of traveling and performing
We lost Aaliyah, lost our families, it takes no Tenges
They've suffered many losses and it's taken a toll on them
You dont need us to say the world is fucked up dawgs can see it
It's obvious that the world is messed up
Now it seems the public needs this shit to calm its kids
People turn to music to calm down or cope with the problems of the world
Cuz they findin out how you lied about your twisted sins
People are becoming aware of how others have lied about the bad things they've done
They say we bad for you but shit our music is your friend
They may have a bad reputation, but their music can be a comfort to some people
They cant deter you from the truth cause we the helping hand
Their music can be truthful and helpful
We are one, and one is all
We are all connected
And one is all
We are all one
Contributed by Charlie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TwilightZoneMusic03
I wish they’d put this on all platforms, it deserves to be released officially. The only one we have is the live version :/
@MrDosenburg
Just searching for the official song when I remembered this very fact. Then I came here.
@goodburger1114
Its on itunes
@devinconnors5068
@@MrDosenburg A censored version is on the soundtrack for Bad Company
@nemmiles2129
Theres a studio uncensored version on the g sides album
@F.HeatherJoseph
@@MrDosenburg🎶🇨🇦❤️🦅
@JprimeWorld
Always loved this. I remember when proof died gorillaz had a nice tribute letter on there website.
@dildonius
Lol, if you don't know who that is, this almost sounds like some melodrama line from a movie. "I remember when proof died!"
Idk, it sounds like that scene in Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith where Former-Queen-Now-Senator Padmé Amidala is like "So this is how Liberty dies....with thunderous applause...🥺" because Georg Lucas was making an incredibly heavy-handed allegory for the Bush Administration and (ironically, considering the song we're commenting under) Post-9/11 Hysteria leading the US congress to approve the invasions of Afghanistan and then Iraq with nearly no opposition.
Think like 5 Congress people in total pushed back against the Iraq invasion (including Bernie Sanders) but NONE of them pushed back on Afghanistan invasion, and we've literally been at war in Afghanistan ever since, it's exactly 20 FUCKING YEARS AT WAR IN AFGHANISTAN now, plus it's been 10 YEARS since Osama Bin Laden was pronounced dead and al-Quæda fell apart. Fortunately Biden is apparently pulling all the troops out and formally ending what has been the longest war in US history on 11 September, 2021 - the 20th anniversary of 9/11...and if that happens, then for the first time since late 2001/early-2002, the USA will NOT be in a state of war with ANYBODY.
@justflynn-
@@dildonius you good? 🤔
@99mustang_
@@dildonius its the rapper named proof