On “Detroit State of Mind”, Kuniva, Swifty McVay, Hush, Calicoe, Guilty Simpson, and Melanie Rutherford shout out the Detroit greats throughout the song. Proof gets the most mentions, followed by Eminem.
D12’s latest single was designed as an ode to Detroit, inspired by Nas’s classic “N.Y. State of Mind”. Kuniva’s opening verse even echoed Nas’s persistent cadence. The farther down the artist roster, the further the lyrics moved away from praising the Detroit weather to to more conventional rap themes. What united every artist was Detroit pride and respect for the Detroit hip hop heroes mentioned in the song.
Kuniva started by paying homage to Proof:
Stand strong, that’s what Proof taught
Swifty then took on the role of “a Detroit advocate”, describing the positive impression the city will leave with visitors. Hush took over with a verse that might be interpreted as a shout-out to Eminem, starting with a wordplay on Bassmint Productions, an early Eminem rap group that predated Soul Intent, where Em’s collaboration with Proof began.
Mayor of the underground made the basement breakthrough
Now Detroit is forever, don’t believe, show ’em Proof
Dirty Dozen held us down, when Shady hit the scene
Made the Shelter City Hall, from spittin’ 16’s
Cut crews into fractions with every incision
Made six equal twelve, that’s a master of division
Never shrank another crown to make himself king
Pulled steel from the stone, everyone kiss the ring
The next verse might not be quite as complimentary. Calicoe has consistently praised Eminem’s music and influence in his interviews, but he’s also said Eminem has been detached from the Detroit scene – specifically about Eminem not “putting money behind” Calicoe’s group. So while the shout-out he gave to Proof is strikingly poetic, his next remark can read as shady.
Deshaun gave a nigga his drive, never needed Google Maps
All my life I put work in the game, don’t know how it’s gone pay me back
Hopefully it’s exact change without no shady aftermath
Meanwhile, Guilty Simpson took a different direction and included a Dilla shout-out in his verse, expanding the scope of Detroit rap represented on the track:
My road dog Dilla is GOATed
Guilty Simpson also mentioned the task of promoting the city, which might have been the common ground for this track. Regardless of how much the song does to raise the Motor City’s profile, the effort every artist put into it is evident.