It’s Michigan thru and thru as Kuniva and his Michigan brethren set off the first single from his upcoming History of Violence mixtape/album due out first quarter 2014.

Uhhh…
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/12/29/bizarre-of-d12-got-a-nicki-minaj-tattoo/feed/ 1 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/03/d12-on-toca-tuesdays-video/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/03/d12-on-toca-tuesdays-video/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:58:03 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=37015

D12 came up on the show two weeks ago, and of course they were up to the challenge of spitting a free one. Tune in to Toca Tuesdays each and every Tuesday from 8 pm till 12 am on Shade 45.
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/03/d12-on-toca-tuesdays-video/feed/ 3 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/04/12/d12-fame-feat-eminem/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/04/12/d12-fame-feat-eminem/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:58:07 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=32869

Here’s a new track from D12′s Return Of The Dozen Vol. 2 street album, which is available now.

LISTEN: D12 – “Fame” (feat. Eminem)

Some of you might remember this from when it first dropped here on HipHopSite some years ago. There is a little history surrounding this mixtape – it basically was right after Shady Records signed 50 Cent, and Royce felt that the relationship between himself and the label was finished. This was his first mixtape, released right after Rock City 2.0, one that would find him dissing Eminem, D12, 50 and others, and freeing up a number of unreleased recordings he did with J. Dilla, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, Alchemist, and more. The CD was given an official release later by Groove Attack, but was a scaled down version missing several of the more controversial or unclearable recordings. This is the complete version.

Some other fun facts about this mixtape:

* The “5’9 Intro” was my idea – to loop Puffy’s lyrics from “Who Shot Ya” in reverse to say “5’9 Motherfuckers!” rather than “9-5 motherfuckers”. Royce would later use this concept in 2010 on The Bar Exam 3.

* The CD was commissioned by Matt Conaway for HipHopSite, and mixed by DJ The D. DJ The D is just a one time pen named used by DJ Pizzo. The problem was that we were cool with both Royce Da 5’9′s camp and Eminem’s camp and we did not want to co-brand ourselves with the mixtape, because we did not want to pick a side in the beef. At the same time, we did not want to let it go. Now that everyone is friends again, we can own up to it.

* The RJD2 beat blend caused some controversy, which found “Boom” vocals over elements of RJ’s “Ghost Writer”. Originally meant to be only an underground mixtape, we never thought Royce would later make an official release of this thing, which we were not a part of. RJD2 was a little pissed because they released this thing to retail without his permission. Whoops.

* The Kanye West produced track, “Heartbeat” also caused some issues, as Kanye later had some unkind words to say about Royce, which you can read right here on HipHopSite in our 2003 interview.

* The CD was called Build and Destroy. The first disc was dubbed “Build”, because it focused on everything he had done up until the release of Rock City. The second disc was “Destroy”, because it was all about burning bridges, which it did successfully.

Despite the controversies surrounding this release, it was one of the best projects we have ever been a part of and in the end helped define Royce’s career today.

Royce Da 5’9 – “Build & Destroy (O.G. Version)” (Mixtape)

Here is Shady’s latest reunion with Tim Westwood, documented audio/visual. Props to Miss Info.

LISTEN: Eminem, Kuniva, Royce Da 5’9 Freestyle On Tim Westwood

Eminem, Kuniva, Royce Da 5’9 Freestyle On Tim Westwood (MP3)

Each gaming chip at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas features a legend in rock music on it, such as Jimi Hendrix, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Seger, and Tom Petty. Not too many rappers get their own chip, but Eminem bucked the trend with his official “Stan” chip, featuring lyrics from the song. The version shown above is encased in Lucite, and was given out promotionally when the chip debuted. (2001, Hard Rock Hotel)

     But with D-12 World, the Dirty Dozen is now on their sophomore LP and to flip an oft-used Eminem phrase, it bears asking; will the real D-12 please stand up? And if they did, would you even pay attention?  Skeptics might tell you that D-12 is fakin’ jax and simply living off Em’s popularity.  Objective heads would argue that the group’s debut, Devils Night, was severely under-appreciated.  Regardless of opinion, D-12 is really in a no win situation; they are for better or worse Em’s band.

     Yet with their sophomore release, thanks to Eminem being less of a factor, the group is forced to stand up and to some extent, is made to carve out their own individual identities.  That’s not to say Em is a bystander, as he provides enough rewind material to keep things interesting; he dazzles his amazing breath control and flow and bashes the frenetic drum loop of “Git Up”, for ninety-seconds, channels the spirit of Patrick Bateman and mashes for Xzibit (“and go find out who did that shit to Xzibit/and go fill up a whole liquor bottle of piss/and shatter his fucking lips”) on “American Psycho II” and steals the show on the bullying “6 In The Mornin’”.  But despite Em’s center-staging, the rest of the crew manages to chime in as well.  Proof deftly keeps pace with Em on the rowdy southern-fried “40 Oz.” and D-12 ably handles things themselves on their ode to Bugz, “Good Die Young”, as well as Kanye West’s middle-eastern scented “D12 World”.  And while Obie Trice’s solidarity stance “D twizzy no question/one of the best/groups that done it/and Obie is their reflection” is a bit of a stretch, there’s no denying Shady rolls thick over Em’s ravishing production on “Loyalty”.

     And while D-12 makes some headway with D-12 World by showing some conceptual growth (“My Band,” “Good Die Young” & “How Come”), they are still far too reliant on the rudimentary gun busting and typical womanizing tracks; “I’ll Be Damned” and “U R The One.”  Likewise, besides Proof, some of the members remain content on playing it close to the vest with their assigned secondary cartoon roles, and Bizarre’s shock jock tactics begin to wear very thin, especially on his solo cut “Just Like You” where his outlandish banter circumvents a true Hi-Tek banger. 

      Does the real D-12 step out of Eminem’s ever luminous shadow with D-12 World?  Yes, and no.  But one thing we do know is this, they don’t really have too, as membership does have its privileges!!

“Smackdown” blasts off, taking mucho shots at Royce Da 5’9 over 50 Cent’s “Backdown” track (which Royce ironically flipped himself for a D-12 diss track on his double-CD Build & Destroy). Pulling his card, bringing up tales of personal beat downs and fake claims, each member gets at the self proclaimed “King of Detroit.”  Bizarre spits “is it our fault you’re a fake LL, D-12 the reason your little record won’t sell.” “Been A Hoe” comically flips Nappy Roots’ “Po Folks,” as Bizzare once again goes out of his mind, conjuring up thoughts that make you realize therapy is long overdue. Who else do you know that’s bragging about “fucking a titty dancer with breast cancer” and making sexual advances like “damnit girl you look fine, I don’t give a fuck if you’re nine, like R. Kelly I wanna bump and grind.” “Talk Too Much” flips TLC’s “Girl Talk” as Swifty brings the heat to all snitches and shit talkers. With the venomous “Kick The Door In” D-12 goes into full attack mode, as they aim vicious promises and death threats in Royce and D-Elite’s direction—”You fuck with Dirty Dozen/we be killin who you love.” Then, “Wrong,” another highlight, has them flipping over Freeway’s “What We Do.” Benzino is the target this time and gets smashed to pieces, “so die another day because you know it’s entertainment/I’ll stuff your out of shape pale face into the pavement.” It doesn’t end there though, as they bring up obvious and personal facts like “you can’t even write raps/your damn near 50 years old/your daddy’s on his death bed/you’re never gonna go gold/it’s best if you just shut it up.”

With this mix tape release, beyond all the unnecessary posturing and death threats, D-12 proves once and for all they are skilled and do not need Em to make noise. Unlike most crews who have the one star member, Dirty Dozen is a powerful squad where each member adds to their strength.  

Enter D12. Eminem’s answer to the crew album, made up of five of his longtime partners-in-rhyme, each with two personalities (making it a “dirty dozen”, get it?). Given the incredible success of Eminem’s last two albums, it was only a matter of time before something like this would materialize. But like other rap superstars who have seen success thanks to their unique styles of rap (Busta Rhymes, Snoop, etc) this seems like an incredibly bad idea on paper, because these other guys just aren’t Eminem – plain and simple. How can D12 capture the same audience of millions that Eminem has? Just like Busta and Snoop brought their market value down by releasing lazy albums from Flipmode and The Eastsidaz, won’t the same thing happen to Em? And what about skill? Do these guys have the same level of skill as their leader? How can this album be even comparable to the now classic Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers LP’s?

Somehow Eminem has managed to transcend the evils of bad crew albums, creating an incredibly surprising release with Devil’s Night. Eminem is still the ringleader here, and the old stigma does remain – his boys aren’t on the same skill level as he is – but with his help, collectively they have made a good album.

Designed to shock and upset you, don’t expect to get too deep into the individuality of each character, as this album merely introduces you to the crew. While Bizarre stands out due to his slowpoke delivery and disturbing rhymes, each of the other members hold their own, but still do little to carve their own identities. They do follow in the footsteps of Eminem – not necessarily regurgitating his style, but definitely attacking the mic with similar sarcasm and anger, plus an equal amount of pop-star bashing.

Much like The Marshall Mathers LP, Devil’s Night dabbles in tracks that will appeal to both the cool thugs in their lowriders, as well as the same angry high-school nerds that they pick on. The album kicks the door down with Dr. Dre produced “Nasty Mind”, an almost Snoop styled sex anthem, and “Ain’t Nuttin’ But Music”, a typical, yet still fun pop-star roast. Dre’s excellent production naturally keeps your attention as you get used to this new troop of emcees, while a few verses sprinkled in from Em keep it exciting and unpredictable.

Meanwhile, Eminem steps it up another notch on the self-production tip, picking up where “Way I Am” and Xzibit’s “Don’t Approach Me” left off. Shooting way past anything the FBT ever produced for him, Eminem has not only captured the trials of teen angst in not only his delivery and rhymes, but also his production. Almost rock-fueled tracks like “American Psycho”, “Fight Music”, and “Revelation” will undoubtedly speak to anyone who’s ever been 15 years old, with D12 lending their own perspectives on depression and anti-authority.

While the other members of D12 aren’t in the same league as Eminem, it’s evident that every song on this album was overseen by Eminem, and the usual barrage of throwaway tracks saved for these types of albums are not included here. The levels of quality control are definitely high, and it’s obvious that as executive producer, Em didn’t approve any track on this album that he wouldn’t use on his own album. While Eminem doesn’t appear on every track, it still feels like he does, simply because of the way the songs are structured – even if he’s just lending the hook, his presence is felt.

The album is not completely flawless, it’s problems lie in the fact that at times it’s obvious that they are going overboard simply to shock you, and sometimes the line between creativity and grabbing their dicks gets blurred. But even so, when the lyrics make you cringe, you can’t help but listen because the music itself is so catchy and well produced – from the tracks to the hooks to the delivery of the rhymes. Yet other times, it’s obvious when the other members start incorporating tired boy-band disses and other Eminem inspired attitudes into their rhymes, leaving little room for the exploration of each member’s true individuality.

In short, while Eminem’s coterie of ne’er-do-wells may not be the most dazzling group of emcees to ever pass the mic, they have a quality that 90% of rappers today lack – they actually know how to make good songs – and this is music before anything else.

B-side, “I Remember (Dedication To Whitey Ford)”, Eminem’s attack on Everlast, isn’t exactly something that your going to mix in with too many other hip-hop songs, but due to it’s controversy, it may find it’s way onto pop / rock radio. Em basically kills Everlast using his “Whitey Ford Sings The Blues” style, and by the third verse breaks into rhyme form, really going for the jugular.