D12

Formed in Detroit in 1996 around Proof, D12 — short for Dirty Dozen — belongs to the Midwest rap tradition, characterized by a horrorcore aesthetic, black humor, exaggerated personae and a strong collective ethos. The project initially involved several local rappers and later stabilized around Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva, Swifty McVay and Eminem, who only officially joined the group after Bugz’s death in 1999. After The Underground EP (1997), D12 broadened its audience with Devil’s Night (2001) and D12 World (2004), two albums that mix group tracks, satire, egotrips and darker narratives, including songs like Purple Pills, Fight Music, My Band and How Come. D12’s dynamic relied on alternating voices, alter egos and contrasts between derision and tension. Proof’s death in 2006 marked a lasting turning point in the group’s history. The collective remained active more intermittently afterward, releasing mixtapes such as Return of the Dozen Vol. 1 (2008), Return of the Dozen Vol. 2 (2011) and The Devil’s Night Mixtape (2015). Since Eminem withdrew from D12 in 2018, the group has continued in a tighter form led by Kuniva and Swifty McVay, who remain active on stage and in the studio.