Bugz

D12 (an initialism for the Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Kon Artis, Kuniva and Swifty McVay.

D12 had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia during the early 2000s. The group released the albums '' Devil's Night'' in 2001 and '' D12 World'' in 2004, spawning numerous hits such as " Shit on You", " Purple Pills", " Fight Music", " My Band" and "How Come" throughout that period. Both albums were certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In 2004, the group won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Act.

Since 2006, Eminem's hiatus and the death of Proof resulted in the group being less active in subsequent years. Between 2008 and 2015, D12 released three official mixtapes with the core lineup reduced to Bizarre, Kuniva and Swifty McVay, with isolated token appearances by Eminem and some contributions from Mr. Porter (formerly Kon Artis) and returning '90s affiliate Fuzz Scoota.

On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album ''Kamikaze'', containing a song titled " Stepping Stone", on which he declared that 'D12 is over,' indicating his formal retirement from the group after many years of inactive membership. Bizarre, Kuniva and Swifty have continued to tour and record as D12.

History

Early career, ''The Underground EP'' and death of Bugz (1996–2000)

D12 was initially formed in 1996 by Proof who invited local Detroit rappers such as Bizarre, Da Brigade members Kon Artis and Kuniva, and Bugz. The name of the band was conceived as, despite having six members, each member had an alter ego they displayed in their music, which meant that there were 12 personalities. In 1997, they released their debut extended play, ''The Underground EP'', which was recorded between 1996 and 1997. Eminem and Eye-Kyu had guest appearances on it. In 1997 and 1998, its members began establishing reputations locally. Bizarre was named ''Inner City Entertainments "Flava of the Week" and went on to release an EP, '' Attack of the Weirdos''. Along with Eminem, 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. On May 21, 1999, Bugz was shot and killed. One of his final acts had been a request that Swifty McVay join the group. Eminem volunteered to replace Bugz; this led to him joining the group.

''Devil's Night'', ''D12 World'' and death of Proof (2001–2006)

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. The album went on to sell four million albums worldwide and two million in the U.S.

'' D12 World'' was released on April 27, 2004, featuring production by Eminem, Mr. Porter, Dr. Dre 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 and Germany, and the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2005, Bizarre and Proof released their debut studio albums ''Hannicap Circus'' and '' Searching for Jerry Garcia''. They debuted at numbers 48 and 65 on the U.S., respectively.

On April 11, 2006, Proof "pistol-whipped an unarmed man and shot him in the head", and was in turn fatally shot to death by the man's cousin. This was a turning point for the group, because this marked the departure of Eminem from the group.

Since then, Eminem stopped being an active member of the group, only having guest appearances only on two tracks, "Fame" on ''Return of the Dozen Vol. 2'' (2011) and "Devil's Night Intro" on ''The Devil's Night Mixtape'' (2015). On December 5, 2006, Shady Records released '' Eminem Presents: The Re-Up'' which featured performances by Eminem, 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 Kon Artis. 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."

Mixtapes, unreleased third studio album and Eminem's departure (2008–present)

On May 21, 2008, D12 released their first mixtape ''Return of the Dozen Vol. 1''. In 2010, the group recorded "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" for Eminem's scrapped studio album '' Relapse 2''. The mixtape ''Return of the Dozen Vol. 2'' (2011) followed three years later. It featured Fuzz Scoota, a new member of the group. On August 5, 2011, D12 performed at the Kanrocksas Music Festival. In 2012, Bizarre and Kon Artis left the group.

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. In 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 two-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. Their new song was entitled "Bane", which features the return of Mr. Porter and was also produced by him.

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." On October 1, 2015, it was announced that D12 would be releasing a new mixtape, ''The Devil's Night Mixtape''. It was released on October 30, 2015 and featured Royce da 5'9", Crooked I and Young Buck. The mixtape was hosted by DJ Whoo Kid.

On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album ''Kamikaze'', containing a song titled " Stepping Stone", on which he declared that 'D12 is over,' indicating the group's disbandment due to Proof's death. However, as of 2025, Bizarre, Kuniva and Swifty have continued to tour and record as D12.

In 2021, '' Devil's Night'' was re-released digitally as an expanded edition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release which featured three bonus tracks, an unreleased freestyle, and the instrumentals.

In 2023, Swifty McVay and Kuniva opened for several shows on Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Thank Me Tour, in which they performed D12 songs. Later that year, they played shows in the UK and the Netherlands in celebration of '' D12 World''s 20th anniversary.

Members

*Eminem (1996–1998, 1999–2018)
*Proof (1996–2006; his death)
* Bizarre (1996–2012, 2014–present)
*Mr. Porter (1996–2012, 2014–2018)
*Kuniva (1996–present)
*Swifty McVay (1998–present)
*Bugz (1996–1999; his death)
*Fuzz Scoota (2011–2014)

Timeline

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bar:Bizarre text:"Bizarre"
bar:Porter text:"Mr. Porter"
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bar:Eminem from:05/22/1999 till:04/11/2018
bar:Proof from:01/01/1996 till:04/11/2006
bar:Bizarre from:01/01/1996 till:02/28/2012
bar:Bizarre from:02/07/2014 till:01/01/2025
bar:Porter from:01/01/1996 till:03/24/2012
bar:Porter from:11/24/2014 till:08/31/2018
bar:Kuniva from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/2025
bar:Swifty from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2025
bar:Bugz from:01/01/1996 till:05/21/1999
bar:Fuzz from:04/07/2011 till:10/02/2014

Awards and nominations

Discography

Studio albums
* '' Devil's Night'' (2001)
* '' D12 World'' (2004)

Notes

References

{{Authority control

Detroit hip-hop groups
Eminem
Horrorcore groups
Musical groups established in 1996
Musical groups disestablished in 2018
1996 establishments in Michigan
Midwest hip-hop groups
Shady Records artists
Hardcore hip-hop groups
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Hip-hop collectives
American musical sextets