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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 albums 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 rap, 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.
D12 is (listed in no particular order by real name and alias/alter ego) Rufus Johnson, aka Peter S. Bizarre (Bizarre is also a member of the group the Outsidaz which includes Rah Digga and Eminem; he has appeared in magazines such as The Source and is the winner of Inner City Entertainment's Flava of the Year award for September 1998), Mr. Denine Porter, aka Kon Artis (Kon Artis is a producer for D12), O. Moore, aka Swifty McVay (Swifty joined D12 in 1998 after Bugz died), Von Carlisle or Hannz G., aka Kuniva (Kuniva was a part of Da Brigade along with Kon Artis), and DeShaun Holton, aka Proof or Dirty Harry Proof is known for his freestyle talents, having won the Source Magazine Freestyling Competition back in 1999. Tragically, he died April 11, 2006, the victim of gunfire at the after-hours club CCC on Eight Mile Road in Detroit. D12 - especially Eminem - were devastated but promised to carry on. In May Kon Artis announced the band's next album would feature unreleased tracks from Proof. ~ Kerry Smith., All Music Guide
D12 rapper Swift jailed
Member of the Eminem-led hip-hop group gets 93 days in the pen after skipping hearing to attend funeral for Proof.
Times are tough in D12 World these days.
With the Eminem-led Detroit hip-hop group still reeling from the fatal shooting of founding member Proof earlier this month, fellow member Swift was sentenced to 93 days in jail today after skipping a court hearing to attend Proof's funeral.
The Associated Press reports that Swift, whose real name is Ondre Moore, was to attend a hearing for violating terms of his probation in a drunken driving case. Moore, 31, had tested positive for alcohol despite a condition of his probation that he avoid alcohol or drugs, the judge said.
The judge issued a bench warrant for Moore's arrest after he failed to appear in court Wednesday, and police found Swift in the Detroit suburb of Novi later that day.
Moore served as an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of Proof, who was shot to death April 11 in Detroit after a nightclub argument that escalated into a gunfight. A man that Proof allegedly pistol whipped and shot in the head also died in the incident, and another man, who reportedly shot Proof, faces weapons charges related to the incident.
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