D12 (an initialism for the Dirty Dozen) is<!-- Do not change this to the past tense, as the group is still actively touring and recording. --> 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 hit singles 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 continued to tour and record as D12 after Eminem's departure. As of 2026, D12 is a duo consisting of Kuniva and Swifty.
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 Eye-Kyu, 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 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. D12
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 and D12 World (2001–2005)
thumb|D12 performing at the [[Anger Management Tour in 2005.]]
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,
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", Young Zee on the track "Commercial Break", and B-Real of Cypress Hill on the track "American Psycho II". It debuted at the top of the U.S., 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.
Death of Proof, mixtapes and Eminem's departure (2006–2024)
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 on two tracks, "Fame" on Return of the Dozen Vol. 2 (2011) and "The Intro and Em" 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."
thumb|D12 performing at Kanrocksas Music Festival
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 Mr. Porter 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.
thumb|D12 performing in [[Moscow in 2015]]
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 King Gordy, Lazarus, Kxng Crooked, Kidd Kidd, Young Buck, Royce da 5'9", and T3 of Slum Village. 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,'
In 2023, D12—as a duo consisting of Swifty McVay and Kuniva—opened for several shows on Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Thank Me Tour. Later that year, they played shows in the UK and the Netherlands in celebration of D12 Worlds 20th anniversary.
On December 19, 2025, former member Eye-Kyu (real name Willie Drake Jr.) was found dead inside Bibb County Jail in Columbus, Georgia.
D12 Forever (2025–present)
D12 announced on December 29, 2025, that they will be releasing their first album in 22 years, D12 Forever Vol. 1. The group announced the album's release scheduled for June 2026.
The lead single from D12 Forever, "Tear It Down" featuring Xzibit and B-Real, was released on April 24, 2026.
Members
Current members
- Kuniva (1996–present)
- Swifty McVay (1998–present)
Former members
- B-Flat (1996)
- Bizarre (1996–2012, 2014–2024 approx.)
- Bugz (1996–1999; his death)
- Dirtty Ratt (1996; died 2021)
- DJ Head (1996-2002)
- Eminem (leader) (1996–1998, 1999–2018)
- Eye-Kyu (1996; died 2025)
- Fuzz Scoota (1996-1999, 2011–2014)
- Mr. Porter (1996–2012, 2014–2018)
- Proof (1996–2006; his death)
Timeline
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bar:Eye text:"Eye-Kyu"
bar:Fuzz text:"Fuzz Scoota"
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bar:Swifty text:"Swifty McVay"
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bar:Bizarre from:01/01/1996 till:02/28/2012
bar:Bizarre from:02/07/2014 till:01/01/2024
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bar:Eminem from:05/22/1999 till:04/11/2018
bar:Eye from:01/01/1996 till:12/31/1996
bar:Fuzz from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/1999
bar:Fuzz from:04/07/2011 till:10/02/2014
bar:Kuniva from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/2026
bar:Porter from:01/01/1996 till:03/24/2012
bar:Porter from:11/24/2014 till:08/31/2018
bar:Proof from:01/01/1996 till:04/11/2006
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Awards and nominations
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Year
!Ceremony
!Award
!Result
|-
|2002
|ECHO Awards
|Best Hip-Hop/Urban Artist (International)
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2004
|rowspan="2"|MTV Europe Music Awards
|Best Hip-Hop Act
|
|-
|Best Group
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|2004
|rowspan="3"|MTV Video Music Awards
|Video of the Year
|
|-
|Best Group Video
|
|-
|Best Rap Video
|
|-
|}
Discography
Studio albums
- Devil's Night (2001)
- D12 World (2004)
- D12 Forever Vol. 1 (2026)