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.
Good Die Young
D12 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe we would have picked another time
Or chose another way
Or maybe my prayers would have convinced him to choose another soul
Shit, its just me and my mentoni now
Man you look so peaceful now, how can I argue wit that
They say
They say the good die young,
That's why I think that you should have fun (when your young)
'Cause time won't wait for no one (uh huh)
When God calls, you gotta go home (go home)
They say the good die young, (die young)
That's why I know that we gon' have fun,
In this life 'cause you only get one
When God comes for me, don't cry till I'm home
[Kon Artis]
Its true that everybody heard, there mama say every days like this
When you see, one of your friends die in the mist
In the struggle, went through circumstances
Arrested every day just to prove a point to a friend
Even then, accidents are prone to happen to any man
A woman is dumb enough to pretend
That her, God won't hold them accountable for sins
If they commit, they try to repent to ??
But I guess (that's just the way things go)
I was blessed to see 24 (24)
To wake up to that how my name is video
Motivated me to write what I wrote
And I knew my little brother sold dope
An mom and daddy want to move our road
I did it, I still got a lot to prove and show
I just which we ain't have to lose Bugz to the struggle
'cause you know
[Chorus]
[Bizzare]
I know you used to Bizzare on some silly shit
But Niggas in my cliq, is dying quick
In Detroit, niggas don't party
They pull a .44 out, snatch off bacardis
That's why I keep the pistol under the trunk
I'm 27 years old, too old to be getting jumped
And fuck rap, I miss Karnail Pitts, be -you-g-z
Tattooed on my wrist
Me and you in the jeep, listen to ?? beats
Its a shame me and Fuzz don't even speak
I got married, my wife name is D
Peace to 31 and 51-50, miss you
[Kuniva]
I came back on that tragic, my phone rung
And Bizarres voice telling me, Bugz was gone home
It was like a knife piercing my chest and I couldn't breath
I didn't wanna accept it, didn't wanna believe it
I swear with this weight dog, I cried so hard
Literally, Denaun had to carry me to the car
While I stand in this booth now its tearin' me apart
But I had to let it out 'cause it was tearin' at my heart
'Cause he died over something so petty and so small
A human life is so very precious I hope y'all
Understand how I'm feeling 'cause I love you bugs
I wanna rhyme wit you, laugh wit you, hug you bugs
But I can't and you was so close to seeing dreams
A coward came along and took you away from the team
So don't mistake this track, its just another song
This goes out to everyone who lost a loved one
'Cause you know
[Chorus]
[Proof]
They say its never too late, to have an early childhood
If I could, turn back the hands of time, God should
Forgive what I did as a kid to run blocks
Now my dreams are just dream cops and gun shots
The fun stops when your homies up in a box
My dudey bole, rest his soul, snuffed by the cops
I use to smoke shit a lot, if there's a guy by me say something
If you love her so much why didn't you gave nothing
When he took my homie, snuck was only in 11th grade
Now I hope to see your face at the heaven gates
It ain't never late in the game, this hating remains
With a grudge to see slugs straight through my frame
My heart aches with the pain, the life in his breath
We gotta have fun now, there's only minutes left
In the depth, distress youngn's is sucked in
To get task my fallen homies I got enough
[Chorus]
[Swifty]
When I was younger I knew four brothers that wasn't wise
That crash and the driver died,
My partner on the passenger side was paralyzed
And I'm surprised by the look of that ride that the other peeps survived
Nine months later another one died
Somebody shot him in the side when he was starting up his ride
3 years go by, I made a hell of a run
And that's when funky got done, a joey playing wit guns
And ?, karty was my man
And reggy, I wish that I was wit you in that van
And Bugs if it wasn't for you
You know I wouldn't be standing in this booth,
That's the truth, I miss y'all
[Chorus: x2]
The lyrics of D12's "Good Die Young" mourn the loss of friends and loved ones to violence and misfortune. The song reflects on the fleeting nature of youth, the inevitability of death, and the tragedy of losing those who were too good for the world. The artists express their grief, confusion, and regret over the deaths of people they cared about and the hopelessness of their absence. The lyrics depict a sense of resignation to these tragedies, recognizing that everyone is vulnerable to sudden loss and that time is precious, and life should be lived meaningfully.
The song reflects a reality of life in many cities around the world where violence and crime are rampant. The artists mourn the loss of not only brothers but also a dream of hope, and it is a reminder of the brutal reality that many people face daily. The song resonates particularly with young people who experience loss, grief and find themselves in similar situations. In conclusion, "Good Die Young" pulls at the heartstrings and provokes a lot of emotions, particularly those who can relate to the loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Dog, I shouldn't have left, They wouldn't have tried this shit if I was wit ya
If I had been with you, they wouldn't have attempted this.
Maybe we would have picked another time
Perhaps we would have chosen a different moment.
Or chose another way
Or taken a different path.
Or maybe my prayers would have convinced him to choose another soul
Perhaps my prayers could have persuaded him to spare someone else.
Shit, its just me and my mentoni now
Now it's just me and my regrets.
Man you look so peaceful now, how can I argue wit that
You look so peaceful in death, how can I argue with that?
They say the good die young, That's why I think that you should have fun (when your young)
It is said that good people die young, which is why I believe you should enjoy life while you are young.
'Cause time won't wait for no one (uh huh)
Because time does not wait for anyone.
When God calls, you gotta go home (go home)
When God summons you, you have to return home to Him.
Its true that everybody heard, there mama say every days like this
It's true that everyone has heard their mother say that every day is like this.
When you see, one of your friends die in the mist
When you witness the death of one of your friends unexpectedly.
In the struggle, went through circumstances
In the midst of difficulties and challenging situations.
Arrested every day just to prove a point to a friend
Getting arrested every day just to show a point to a friend.
Even then, accidents are prone to happen to any man
Even in those situations, accidents can happen to anyone.
A woman is dumb enough to pretend
A woman is foolish enough to pretend.
That her, God won't hold them accountable for sins
That God won't hold her accountable for her sins.
If they commit, they try to repent to ??
If they commit sins, they try to repent to God.
But I guess (that's just the way things go)
But I suppose that's just how things work out.
I was blessed to see 24 (24)
I consider myself fortunate to have lived until the age of 24.
To wake up to that how my name is video
To wake up to that video of how my name is.
Motivated me to write what I wrote
Inspired me to write the words that I have written.
And I knew my little brother sold dope
And I was aware that my younger brother was involved in drug dealing.
An mom and daddy want to move our road
And mom and dad wanted to leave our neighborhood.
I did it, I still got a lot to prove and show
I did it, but I still have much to prove and demonstrate.
I just which we ain't have to lose Bugz to the struggle
I just wish we didn't have to lose Bugz in the fight.
'cause you know
Because you understand.
I know you used to Bizzare on some silly shit
I know you used to find Bizarre's behaviors ridiculous.
But Niggas in my cliq, is dying quick
But people in my crew are dying rapidly.
In Detroit, niggas don't party
In Detroit, people don't celebrate.
They pull a .44 out, snatch off bacardis
They pull out a .44 caliber gun and take off Bacardi bottles.
That's why I keep the pistol under the trunk
That's why I keep a gun hidden in the trunk.
I'm 27 years old, too old to be getting jumped
I'm 27 years old, I'm too old to be getting beaten up.
And fuck rap, I miss Karnail Pitts, be-you-g-z
And fuck rap, I miss Karnail Pitts, a beloved friend.
Tattooed on my wrist
His name is tattooed on my wrist.
Me and you in the jeep, listen to ?? beats
You and me in the jeep, listening to unknown beats.
Its a shame me and Fuzz don't even speak
It's a shame that Fuzz and I don't even talk anymore.
I got married, my wife name is D
I got married, my wife's name is D.
Peace to 31 and 51-50, miss you
Peace to 31 and 51-50, I miss you.
I came back on that tragic, my phone rung
I returned to that tragedy, my phone rang.
And Bizarres voice telling me, Bugz was gone home
And Bizarre's voice telling me that Bugz had passed away.
It was like a knife piercing my chest and I couldn't breath
It felt like a knife stabbing my chest and it took my breath away.
I didn't wanna accept it, didn't wanna believe it
I didn't want to accept it, I didn't want to believe it.
I swear with this weight dog, I cried so hard
I promise, with the burden of this grief, I cried intensely.
Literally, Denaun had to carry me to the car
Literal Denaun had to physically carry me to the car.
While I stand in this booth now its tearin' me apart
As I stand here in this recording booth, it's tearing me apart.
But I had to let it out 'cause it was tearin' at my heart
But I had to express it because it was tormenting my heart.
'Cause he died over something so petty and so small
Because he died over something so insignificant.
A human life is so very precious I hope y'all
A human life is incredibly valuable, I hope you all understand.
Understand how I'm feeling 'cause I love you bugs
Understand how I'm feeling because I love you, Bugz.
I wanna rhyme wit you, laugh wit you, hug you bugs
I want to rap with you, laugh with you, hug you, Bugz.
But I can't and you was so close to seeing dreams
But I can't do those things with you, and you were so close to achieving your dreams.
A coward came along and took you away from the team
A coward came and snatched you away from our group.
So don't mistake this track, its just another song
So don't misunderstand this track, it's simply another song.
This goes out to everyone who lost a loved one
This is dedicated to everyone who has lost a loved one.
'Cause you know
Because you understand.
They say its never too late, to have an early childhood
It is said that it is never too late to have a carefree childhood.
If I could, turn back the hands of time, God should
If I could, I would turn back time, but only God has that power.
Forgive what I did as a kid to run blocks
Forgive me for the things I did as a child in the neighborhood.
Now my dreams are just dream cops and gun shots
Now my dreams are filled with police sirens and gunshots.
The fun stops when your homies up in a box
The fun ends when your friends are in a casket.
My dudey bole, rest his soul, snuffed by the cops
My good friend, may he rest in peace, was killed by the police.
I use to smoke shit a lot, if there's a guy by me say something
I used to smoke a lot, if there's someone near me, speak up.
If you love her so much why didn't you gave nothing
If you love her so much, why didn't you give her anything?
When he took my homie, snuck was only in 11th grade
When he took my friend, Snuck, he had only reached 11th grade.
Now I hope to see your face at the heaven gates
Now I hope to see your face at the gates of heaven.
It ain't never late in the game, this hating remains
It's never too late for hatred to persist in the game.
With a grudge to see slugs straight through my frame
With a grudge that leads to bullets piercing through my body.
My heart aches with the pain, the life in his breath
My heart is in pain, mourning the loss of life in his breath.
We gotta have fun now, there's only minutes left
We have to enjoy ourselves now because time is running out.
In the depth, distress youngn's is sucked in
In the depths of despair, young people are trapped.
To get task my fallen homies I got enough
To take on the burdens left by my fallen friends, I have enough strength.
When I was younger I knew four brothers that wasn't wise
When I was younger, I knew four brothers who were not wise.
That crash and the driver died
Who were involved in a crash that killed the driver.
My partner on the passenger side was paralyzed
My partner on the passenger side was left paralyzed.
And I'm surprised by the look of that ride that the other peeps survived
I'm surprised that the remaining people in the car survived based on the condition of the wreckage.
Nine months later another one died
Nine months later another one of them passed away.
Somebody shot him in the side when he was starting up his ride
Someone shot him in the side as he was starting his car.
3 years go by, I made a hell of a run
Three years passed, and I had an incredible journey.
And that's when funky got done, a joey playing wit guns
And that's when Funky got killed, a young man playing with guns.
And ?, karty was my man
And?, Karty was my close friend.
And reggy, I wish that I was wit you in that van
And Reggy, I wish I was with you in that car.
And Bugs if it wasn't for you
And Bugs, if it wasn't for you.
You know I wouldn't be standing in this booth
You know I wouldn't be standing here in this recording booth.
That's the truth, I miss y'all
That's the truth, I miss all of you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL H. WILLIAMS, SHELTON EMERSON RIVERS, VON M. CARLISLE, DE SHAUN D. HOLTON, RUFUS B. JOHNSON, ONDRE C. MOORE, DENAUN M. PORTER, KARNAIL PITTS, JONATHAN ROTEM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind