| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Music Group | | UPC: 00602498621622 | | Release Date: 4/27/2004 | | Buy.com Sku: 60632526 | | Item#: MQD2HW | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Git Up ~ D-12 |  | | 2. Loyalty - (with Obie Trice) ~ D-12 | | | 3. Just Like U ~ D-12 | | | 4. I'll Be Damned ~ D-12 | | | 5. Dude (Skit) ~ D-12 | | | 6. My Band ~ D-12 | | | 7. U R The One ~ D-12 | | | 8. In The Morning ~ D-12 | | | 9. How Come ~ D-12 | | | 10. Leave Dat Boy ~ D-12 | | | 11. Get My Gun ~ D-12 | | | 12. Bizarre (Skit) ~ D-12 | | | 13. **** ~ D-12 | | | 14. Steve's Coffee House (Skit) ~ D-12 | | | 15. D 12 World ~ D-12 | | | 16. 40 Oz ~ D-12 | | | 17. Commercial Break ~ D-12 | | | 18. American Psycho!! - (with B Real) ~ D-12 | | | 19. Bugz 97 (Skit) ~ D-12 | | | 20. Good Die Young ~ D-12 | | | 21. Keep Talkin - (Bonus Track) ~ D-12 | |
(P) 2004 Shady Records/Interscope Records
(C) 2004 Shady Records/Aftermath Records/Interscope Records
| | They made it to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart with their debut disc and one of their members happens to be named Eminem. Yes, the Eminem. D12 is one of Slim Shady's personal projects and it finds him teaming up with five other excellent Motor City rappers: Swift, Bizarre, Kon Artis, Kuniva and Proof. D12 World is special in that you can hear some early rap roots (e.g., N.W.A) in the songs right alongside new and innovative ideas. The beats are excellent and overall it's a highly entertaining album that'll tap into your groove instincts.
About the Artist:
The rap posse of D12 features six rappers: Swift, Kon Artis, Kuniva, Proof, Bizarre and Eminem. Each rapper also uses a pseudonoym, so that adds up to a dozen, a dirty dozen. That is what D12 is short for, dirty dozen.
In the late 1990s these six Detroit rappers got together and formed D12. In between those days and the release of their 2001 debut, Devil's Night, Eminem scored some solo success. This success allowed him to form his own label and sign D12. Eminem produced several tracks and acts as a sixth member contributing to several tracks. Dr. Dre also lent production support.
This hardcore posse spares no one and their music reflects that. Devil's Night debuted on the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard 200 album chart and the R&B/Hip-Hop album chart. D12 joined the Warped Tour and toured Europe with Eminem.
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | D12 includes: Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Swift, Kuniva, Kon Artis (rap vocals). | | D12: Eminem, Kon Artis, Proof, Swift , Bizarre, Kuniva (rap vocals). | | Additional personnel: Obie Trice, B Real (rap vocals). | | "My Band," the debut single from D12's sophomore album, D12 World, is the group's greatest moment and a great introduction to the way they work. Very little else on D12 World is as exciting as "My Band," the catchy explanation of what this group (or band, or whatever you want to call it) is, and one of the best productions to ever come out of Shadyville. It's also the tamest track on D12 World, an album that's proudly sick in the head. D12 are B-list players in the world of Shadyville (addressed on "My Band" when a fan asks, "Where's Obie and Dre?"), but they're the Three Stooges meets Andrew Dice Clay with that Detroit horror-show edge, which makes them like nothing else in the rap world. ICP might trade in the same sickness as the group, but D12 have better skills and more street cred, and they also have Bizarre. He's Kool Keith on earth, smoking Newports, carrying a blowup doll, and owning every track he appears on. His grotesque masterpiece is "Just Like U," a horrific exchange between parent and child that's so disgusting the edited version of the album totally drops it. Bizarre declares, "When Mos Def hear dis/He probably suffocate me," but it's hardly the only track that would make a humanist's stomach churn. "Get My Gun" and "Bitch" are just as irresponsible, but the group must not be sick enough to repel the socially conscious hero of the moment, Kanye West. His production work on the title track gives the album another highlight, while Dr. Dre is at the helm for the quirky and dark "American Psycho II," killer track number three. Eminem rules the first two songs, and sporadically pops up throughout the album, but don't expect any of the usual reflection. His raps are concerned with his relationship to D12 and hip-hop in total or they focus on his numerous beefs, most prominent being his one with Benzino. That's hard to relate to unless you have a beef with Benzino yourself, but fans who look at D12 albums as updates on the soap opera that is Eminem's career should eat it up. The album feels more slapped together than their debut -- and there's a dry spell in the middle -- but since Eminem spends a lot of time in the background it does do a better job of developing the careers of Swift, Proof, and mostly Bizarre. Check it for his raps and the excellent "My Band," but leave your taste and morality at home. ~ David Jeffries | | D12's initial success was certainly aided by the high-profile presence of member Eminem, as well as lyrics that took his provocative topics to another twisted, incendiary level. However, D12 also consists of five other Detroit rappers, who were already established and respected before Eminem blew up larger than life. Their debut, DEVIL'S NIGHT, proved to be a witty, irreverent ride. On the follow-up album's mischievous first single, "My Band," the group hilariously (and self-deprecatingly) dissects Slim Shady, its greatest blessing and curse, while revealing an array of skills on the mic. | | D12 WORLD should put to rest any dubious notions about the collective. These are six like-minded guys with lightning-quick intellects to match their warped thoughts. "Just Like U" is a deft combination of whimsy and dark brutality, as crew member Bizarre gives "advice" to a child, playfully parodying similar songs by other rappers ("Nas gonna probably hate me/When Mos Def hear this, he probably gonna suffocate me"). However, when they do get serious, as on "Good Die Young," a tribute to former D12 member Bugz (who was shot and killed in 1999) and other fallen friends, the result is achingly sincere, revealing a group that can be both crass and conscientious. |
Producer: Eminem; Hi-Tek; Mr. Porter; Red Spyda; Dr. Dre |
| | Artist Overview | | D12 is a hip-hip outfit formed by Detroit rapper Proof in the mid 1990s. An early incarnation of D12 featured a young pre-fame Eminem. Following his rise to superstardom, Slim Shady made D12 the first act signed to his Shady Records imprint. The group released two very successful full-lengths, both of which contained a number of charting singles. Eminem briefly returned to the group to tour and provide guest shots for the albums. Sadly, D12 lost key members Bugz and the aforementioned Proof, killed by gunfire in 1999 and 2006 respectively. Despite these tragedies, the group soldiered forward, as fans anxiously awaited the materialization of a long-rumored third D12 album. |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 04/27/2004 | | Original Release Date : 2004 | | Catalog ID : 0002404 | | Label : Shady Records | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00602498621622 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Vibe (p.157)
- 3 1/2 out of 5 - "[The album] legitimizes the D 12ers as much more than simply Eminem's funky bunch." |
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