Please take us back to 2001, when D12’s “Purple Pills” was on the airwaves. Ah, simpler times. The hip-hop collective/band of misfits led by Eminem dropped its funk-filled debut, 2001’s Devil’s Night, and though it's not a formal outfit anymore, its legacy has lived on alongside Em's superstardom, as well as withstood the deaths of members Bugz and Proof.
D12’s Kon Artis once said that D12 has always been about friendship. “We all knew each other growing up in Detroit,” Proof said of the group. “I used to sneak Em into my school lunchroom just so he could battle. Later, when we started battling once a month at Maurice Malone’s Hip-Hop Shop, everybody had a crew. So we decided to form our own. That’s how D12 was born. Before we even thought about making records, our only goal was to be like verbal ninjas and kick ass.”
Carrying the torch of hip-hop brotherhood are D12’s Kuniva and Swifty McVay, who have teamed up on their joint album, My Brothers Keeper, which will get a proper release and listening party at Ferndale’s Grasshopper. The event is free with RSVP and will be hosted by Ron Dance, with a live set from DJ Jewels Baby.
Doors open at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Grasshopper Underground; 22757 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-268-3219; theghopper.com. Event is free with RSVP.
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