Familiar names make an appearance on D21’s album teaser.
Recently, D12 consists of two artists, Kuniva and Swifty McVay. They keep the legacy alive, drop new merch (including hot sauce My Salsa), re-release D12 classic albums, and tour the world.
The summer of 2023 was especially busy. D12 went around Europe with Obie Trice, then Xzibit joined them for an Australasian leg. Proof’s son Nassan also toured with them, as well as Jake Bass, whose father was one of those Bass Brothers who were working with Eminem at the beginning of Shady’s career.
Kuniva and Swifty already have new dates lined up this summer in the UK. And this time, it seems, they would arrive with a new album.
D12 Forever
Titled D12 Forever, the album is going to be the band’s third album after Devil’s Night (2001) and D12 World (2004), and the first one in over 20 years. There is no doubt that Jake Bass worked on the album. The band’s feed often shows their photos from the studio. Moreover, Jake has produced the album’s lead single, “Tear It Down” feat. Xzibit and B-Real.
The band’s official Instagram account shared the teaser with a caption:
D12 FOREVER Announcement 🚨
Our new single “Tear It Down”, featuring Xzibit and B-Real, is dropping this April. 🔥
Detroit meets the West Coast on this one… y’all ready?
And that’s just the beginning, what else do you think we’ve got in the chamber? 👀
The teaser, and most certainly, the song, opens with a skit where good old Rondell Beene tries to talk to D12 about their upcoming album. This idea does not find a warm welcome, especially after mentioning Proof’s unreleased music. Features also got a mention as a point of special interest. After Rondell leaves the scene, the track starts with an aggressive beat and attacking delivery.
Blast From the Past
The skit masterfully brings back two names from the D12 golden era. First, Rondell Beene, a character Kuniva performed in the D12 skits, is the protagonist of this first-album skit. And then, Proof, the Detroit rap legend whose life was cut short in a heated exchange of fire. Rondell mentions Proofs’ unreleased material in the same breath as features, as something he has to keep secret.
So, might it be true? Strictly speaking, yes. After years of forced silence and court hearings, Proof’s estate regained control over his legacy. Proof’s family can now release his extensive catalogue of songs that will bring proceedings back to Proof’s estate. Proof’s brother-in-law, Mark “Doughboy” Hicks, teased two Proof songs on the Stan soundtrack. It did not happen. However, Gorillaz dropped a song with Proof’s verse, paving the way to freeing more of his music from the vaults.
Wouldn’t it be realistic to interpret Rondell’s skit as a tongue-in-cheek announcement of Proof’s posthumous involvement? Probably not. While the part about features is certainly true, the “Proof music” might be as well a trap as a promise. Hopefully, the album will be out by June, in time for their European tour.
