Anybody excited about the D12 show on the 25th? No, me neither, but let's take a moment to examine the peculiar animal that is the Dirty Dozen. For the clueless among you, a recap: D12 are Eminem's boys from Detroit, a ragtag group of MCs who all share his love of shock tactics and over-the-top threats--but somehow never seemed quite convincing. Now, some would argue the same about Mr. Mathers himself, but at least his caustic wit, excellent songwriting, and (usually) unfuckwittable flow back up his boasts. Aside from their reluctant captain Slim, "D-Twizzy" ranges from semi-decent (the once solid Proof), to unmemorable (Kuniva, Kon Artis, and Denaun Porter), to fucking god-awful (Bizzare). Em's old running partner Royce Da 5'9" sure could've used the shine they're getting--a fact which led him to lyrically annihilate D12 on his slept-on Build & Destroy mix tape from last year.
The first single from their sophomore album, D12 World, made great sport of their (well-deserved) underdog status; but the fact remains that the same guy who raised the bar on emceeing in the last few years also brought us one of the worst-conceived rap groups of all time (fellow Motowners Insane Clown Posse being the zenith). Many reputable MCs have shat on the game by bringing in their wack homies but none have dropped a bigger, cornier turd than ya boy Shady.
Speaking of which, have you heard that Cam'ron has dissed Em? Seems he felt D12, in their video for "40 Oz.," were mocking the rooftop dance scene Cam and his Dip Set did in his own recent video. Seeing how Em has erased the careers of virtually anyone who's challenged him, this seems to be a stupid move--but something tells me, with Cam's ironclad love in the streets and Slim's stock slipping (read: get ya bars back up!), that he could weather the storm. Hiphop's Pink Panther vs. the Great White Hope. You make the call, people.
Of course, it didn't help Eminem any that those old tapes of him dropping the N-bomb surfaced; I know nobody's forgotten about that. I live in an area that thinks it's so very progressive, fools still believe it's all good to sling that one around. Well, do you, playboy--but here's a News Flash: Whites who use that word around those for whom it was coined do so at their own risk.
Now, one word that always gets a great reception is "free"--as in, FREE show at Chop Suey, Wednesday, June 30, featuring none other than DJ Premier! For those not up on this hiphop thang, Primo is the unparalleled producer/DJ of the institution that is Gang Starr, among countless others. Miss this show and you are, in the man's own words, "violatin', straight up and down"!
