By D12, 2004

You can say this about D12: few rap groups do a better job of straddling the line between the humorous and offensive, silly and sadistic. So when Eminem kick starts D12's sophomore effort by spewing vulgar rhymes to the tune of the adolescent "Name Game" on "Git Up," it's not entirely unexpected. But can D12 ever be considered anything other than an Eminem science project gone awry?"My Band," a pure novelty track (and this album's "Purple Pills"), addresses this question.

Rather than lament the fact that nobody cares about the rest of the Em's crew, group members Proof, Kuniva, Swift, and Bizarre celebrate their obscurity while Shady himself croons a painfully catchy off-kilter hook. In fact, most of the crew's punch lines and hooks tend to be overshadowed by Him. Plus, Eminem produces a sizable chunk of the tracks, which is not necessarily a good thing considering his rhyme skills trump his beat-making skills considerably.

With the exception of Mr. Proof's banging production on "Good Die Young" and Bizarre's creepy shock rap come-ons on "U R the One," D12's world sounds too much like an Eminem side project. Beat contributions by Kanye West (title cut) and Dr.

Dre ("American Psycho 2") bolster the overall product, but not to the level of an Eminem solo album. --Dalton Higgins

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