Eminem’s crew will ditch its comical rhymes for “a little more maturity” when the rap group begins its first Australian tour in eight years this month, according to a member.
D12’s Swifty McVay, real name Ondre Moore, told the Independent the group was back and ready to shake up Geelong with new tracks and old favorites.
“We’re more than a party group,” McVay declared. “We have a lot of substance, so we’re going to bring a little more maturity this time.
“We’ve always offered an honest approach and never portrayed ourselves as something we’re not. That’s why people have given us longevity, why they’ve clung to us. We’re not divas.”
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, hales from Detroit, Michigan.
The group formed in 1996 before achieving international success on the back of Eminem’s rise to fame.
The group scored top 10 hits in Australia including Purple Pills and My Band. But McVay said the road to fame had been rocky.
D12 lost original members Bugz in 1999 and founding member Proof in 2006 to gunshot wounds.
McVay also spent time in jail after failing to appear in court to instead stand as pallbearer at Proof’s funeral.
Talking to the Independent from his Gold Coast hotel room, McVay said the experiences helped shape D12’s raps as raw and truthful in contrast to the commercial theme of much other American music.
“As far as tragedy goes, you never really get over things like that you tend to just move on and become a bit desensitised a bit but that’s Detroit.
“Everything is a learning experience, people change but all the things we go through just make us who we are. Coming up through the years in this game we know people like vulnerability, we offer that.”
McVay declared D12 “as strong as ever” despite the various misfortunes and departure of Eminem for a solo career across this tour.
Kuniva, Maestro and Dj Don Q would join McVay on the tour, he said.
“We’re still standing because that’s what we’re bred to do. We ain’t going anywhere.”
D12 plays Geelong’s Bended Elbow on February 5.
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