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D12 Biography |
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 Short for “Dirty Dozen,” D12 is a Detroit, Michigan-based rap group led by rap superstar Marshall “Eminem” Mathers. The six-man group recorded and released an extended play record in 1997, but after Eminem’s success in his recent extended play record in that same year, D12 went on the backburner for Eminem.
With his newfound fame, Eminem formed Shady Records, a group affiliated with Interscope Records, and was able to get the rest of the member of D12 to join the label in 1999. But soon after that original group member Karnail “Bugz” Pitts was shot to death in a dispute. Pitts’ final request before his death was that Ondre “Swift” Moore replaced him in the group, and the group agreed.
D12’s first album, Devil’s Night, was released in 2001.
The album reached the top of the charts in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The album also featured the hit singles “Fight Music” and “Purple Pills,” which was named “Purple Hills” in a version edited for the radio. The group’s follow-up, 2004’s D12 World, also hit the top of the charts in the same three countries.
Both records have sold over five million copies worldwide.
The success of D12 has helped to propel the careers of the individual members as well. Denaun “Kon Artis” Porter has appeared on several different rap musicians’ albums, and Rufus “Bizarre” Johnson released a solo album in 2005.
More trouble came for D12 after the death of member DeShaun “Proof” Holton.
In April 2006 he was shot to death outside a nightclub in Detroit. Proof had shot another man to death after a dispute over a game of pool, and he was then shot to death by the club bouncer. Also in that same month, Ondre “Swift” Moore was sent to prison for three months after he violated his probation after being arrested for drunk driving the previous year. He has been released since then, and the group is currently working on their third album. |
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Vital Stats |
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| Name |
D12 |
| DOB: |
1998 |
| Location: |
Detroit, Michigan |
| Label: |
Shady, Interscope |
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