Eminem is, without doubt, a hip-hip icon. Not one to shy away from beefs and bashing other celebs, the iconic rapper keeps a select few close pals within his inner circle. Having been a member of the Detroit-based hip-hop collective D12 in the '90s and 2000s, Eminem went on to achieve monumental fame as a solo artist, in effect eclipsing the success of his popular side project. But whatever became of the remaining members of D12?
These days, Eminem has a complicated relationship with the other rappers of the collective, which officially disbanded in 2018. While some of the members are still among Shady's closest friends, certain bandmates are not in his good books. From tragic losses to very public acrimony, let's take a look at Eminem's current relationship with the other members of D12.
8 Denaun Porter Is One Of Eminem's Closest And Longest Friends
Also known by his stage name Mr. Porter, D12 member Denaun Porter remains one of Eminem's closest pals. In a birthday tribute to his friend, Eminem Tweeted, "Wish a happy birthday to 1 of my most talented and long time friends @mRpOrTeR!" Meanwhile, Porter has also spoken of the longevity of his friendship with Mr. Mathers.
"Wow, 24 years ago today I began a journey with one of the first Artist [sic] I believed in as a producer/ beatmaker and sometime before through creating with him gained one of the closest and best friends in my life," Porter wrote in an Instagram tribute to Eminem. "Though the album didn’t sell much it taught us to be ourselves."
7 He Will Never Forget His "Brother" Proof
Tragically, D12 member Proof passed away in 2006 after being shot several times during a dispute. He was just 32. Friends since childhood, the loss devastated Eminem, who still struggles with Proof's death all these years later.
Following Proof's death, Eminem said, "You don't know where to begin when you lose somebody who's been such a big part of your life for so long. Proof and I were brothers. He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady. Not a day will go by without his spirit and influence around us all. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop." Proof may be gone, but Eminem will never forget him nor stop loving him.
6 Eminem And Bizarre Remain Great Friends
While they may not be as tight as Em and Denaun Porter, the "Slim Shady" is still great friends with
Bizarre. The former D12 rapper paid tribute to Eminem on Instagram in a post encouraging people to never give up on their dreams.
"I tell y’all this this is all I know I pay a lot of dues for this slip on a lot of floors ate a lot of Coney Island even went to New York and was homeless me and proof survived of Dollar slices," Bizarre explained. "I didn’t finish high school but I went back and got my GED college was never an option for me.. I even took Eminem to New York for his first trip when he want to give up on rap .. i’m here to tell y’all never give up on your dreams."
5 Kuniva Loves Eminem
Kuniva (born Von Carlisle) has enjoyed a moderately successful rap career following the disbandment of D12. However, he still looks upon those glory days with wistful nostalgia, frequently posting pics of Eminem on his social media accounts. Evidently, there is much love between these two.
When Eminem wished Kuniva a happy birthday on Twitter in 2020, he referred to him as "the lead singer of My Band". In a wholesome response, Kuniva Tweeted, "Lol Finally! I’ve been bumped up to lead singer. Love ya big bro! #FamilyForLife".
4 Bizarre Recently Reconciled With Eye-Kyu - Did Em Catch Up With Him Too?
D12's Eye-Kyu is one of the most elusive and mysterious of all the group's members. In recent years, he has all but disappeared from the hip-hop world, leading fans to wonder whatever happened to him.
However, in 2018, Bizarre said that he finally met up with Eye-Kyu after years apart. Since Em and Bizarre are close friends, it's possible that he got to catch up with Eye-Kyu as well.
3 Swifty McVay Defended Eminem And Branded Him An Icon
Snoop Dogg and Eminem have been in the midst of an extended rap battle whereby the former questioned Em's capabilities as a rapper. This angered D12's Swifty McVay, who defended Eminem, which is reflective of their amicable relationship status.
Regarding the beef, McVay said, "I have not talked to Snoop, he might mean something totally different than my perception of it but when I heard it when you on the same team as somebody, you don’t give no question mark, you don’t make anybody feel like they have to question if you f*** with him or not and it just kind of made me feel like damn Snoop you really f*** with his music like that… you know that’s just in my opinion. I think they’re both icons, both dope."
2 The Death Of Bugz Haunts Him
Sadly, D12 lost not one, but two, members. In 1999, Bugz (born Karnail Pitts) was brutally killed after a minor dispute at a picnic ended with his attacker shooting him multiple times. He was just 21. In an interview with Sway, Kuniva opened up about how Bugz's death affected Eminem, who stepped up to replace the rapper following his tragic demise.
"When Bugz passed — the night he passed, we were all on Em’s tour bus," Kuniva told Sway. "He had came back to Detroit; he was doing a show in Detroit. We was on his tour bus. We was all f****d up and s**t [explaining that Bugz had died]. He said, 'Yo, if y'all would have me, I'd be a member.' Em’ wasn't gonna be a member [but an affiliate]. When he passed, [Eminem] was like, 'Yo, I gotta be with this.' He humbled himself and just asked. He didn't have to do that s**t. It was dope."
1 He Has Beef With Fuzz Scoota
Fuzz Scoota is one of the lesser known members of D12, but he has been vocal regarding his beef with Eminem. Scoota has dissed Eminem on Twitter, with the majority of the expletive-ridden Tweets too offensive to repeat here.
In 2018, he Tweeted, "Eminem needs to pull of that hoody hes [sic] been wearing 2years straight and finally show hes going bald." While we don't know exactly what went down between the pair to cause such animosity, it's safe to say that Eminem doesn't regard his former bandmate as a friend.