By Josh Plotnik
staff writer
I was in London last spring break desperately searching for this album, which was constantly being put on the Interscope Records’ back burner, probably because Eminem’s Shady Records was just getting off the ground, and the controversial rapper was having trouble showing up for recording sessions. But regardless, this album finally made it to the shelves. Devil’s Night isn’t for the faint of heart, nor is it for Eminem haters. In fact, if you are just a border-line Eminem fan, you’ll probably hate him now.
As much hype as this group has received for their Eminem connection, there are five other members of the “Dirty Dozen.” Those five members’ lyrics on this CD are tight, even though they mostly just serve as a chorus to support Eminem’s verses. Eminem grew up with these five guys, rapping and freestyling together as teenagers. According to Proof, the group’s lead rapper, the six young rappers made a pact that if any one of them made it big, they would pass that success on to the others. Eminem did that, but this is more an addition to his own repertoire than a debut from his childhood friends.
What’s so funny about the Dirty Dozen is their look and their attitude. For example, in Bubba Sparxxx’s new video “Ugly,” D12 member Peter S. “Bizarre” appears half-naked and wrestles pigs. Bizarre is a 350-pound, hilarious rapper who brings bathroom humor and numerous skits to Devil’s Night.
The cursing is excessive, the toilet humor is plentiful, and the lyrics and beats resemble the Marshall Mathers LP just a tad too much. However, this is an album where you can listen to more than half the CD, without having to start at track 2 and skipping to track 17 to hear the only two worthwhile songs. “Purple Pills” is the real version of the absolutely awful radio-edit “Purple Hills,” currently being played out on the radio. MTV even refused to play the video on TRL because it promotes drugs.
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