Billboard ranks G-Unit at No. 19 on “50 Greatest Rap Groups of All Time,” snubs D12

Billboard magazine has released the final top 10 in their ranking of the 50 Greatest Rap Groups of All Time.

The magazine reports: In determining these rankings, the Billboard editorial team again took the following criteria into account, not in any specific order: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications, other awards), cultural impact/influence (how the group’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess). Our definition of groups includes duos, proper groups and more nebulous collectives. Most notably, Inclusion on this list is based on the accomplishments of the group as a unit — not what the individuals may have separately accomplished. We tried to walk the line between what constitutes a group versus a collective or a crew, though at times that was not entirely clear.

50 Cent’s G-Unit was ranked at No. 19 but the list does not include Griselda, Slaughterhouse, D12 or Bad Meets Evil. You can check the entire list below:

1) OutKast
2) Wu-Tang Clan
3) N.W.A.
4) A Tribe Called Quest
5) Run-D.M.C.
6) Public Enemy
7) Eric B. & Rakim
8) Salt-N-Pepa
9) De La Soul
10) The Roots

11) Migos
12) Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
13) Mobb Deep
14) Fugees
15) Naughty By Nature
16) Beastie Boys
17) Cypress Hill
18) Three 6 Mafia
19) G-Unit
20) UGK

21) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
22) The LOX
23) Sugarhill Gang
24) The Diplomats
25) Hot Boys
26) EPMD
27) DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
28) Geto Boys
29) Gang Starr
30) Clipse

31) Boogie Down Productions
32) 2 Live Crew
33) Goodie Mob
34) Brand Nubian
35) Pharcyde
36) Heiroglyphics
37) 8Ball & MJG
38) Big Tymers
39) Slum Village
40) Onyx

41) Little Brother
42) Heavy D & The Boys
43) Kid N Play
44) Kriss Kross
45) Pete Rock & CL Smooth
46) Yin Yang Twins
47) Rae Sremmurd
48) City Girls
49) Black Star
50) MOP

[VIA]

Nasaan pens heartfelt letter to his father Proof

17 years have passed since Big Proof passed away. On April 11, 2006, Proof was shot three times by Mario Etheridge, once in the head and twice in the chest, after a dispute broke out during a game of billiards at the CCC Club on 8 Mile Road in Detroit.

A pool game between Proof and Keith Bender turned into a heated argument and then escalated into a physical altercation. Etheridge, who was Bender’s cousin, fired a warning shot into the air. There have been many conflicting reports about Proof and Keith Bender’s roles in the shooting, but it was reported that Proof then shot Bender in the head during the altercation.

Bender was not immediately killed by the gunshot but died a week later from his injuries. In response to Proof shooting Bender, Etheridge then shot Proof three times, once in the head and twice in the chest, killing him at the scene.

On April 19, 2006, a service for Proof was held in the Fellowship Chapel in Detroit to a full house of 2,660 people, including life-long friends Eminem, Royce Da 5’9″, 50 Cent, and thousands more mourning outside.

To honor the life of Detroit’s Mayor, his son Nasaan dedicated a heartful letter to his father on Instagram. “Felt like I needed you more than ever in my life this last year. I’m doing a lot of this s–t on my own and getting it done no matter what, which I know you would be so happy about. Thank you, I love you. I’mma continue to make you proud. THE BIGGEST. RIP LEGEND.” he wrote.

Royce 5’9″, Bizarre of D12 and Lazarus have all sent heart emojis in the comments section. You can check the post below:

New Song: Fury – “Rage Quit” ft. D12

The brand new effort ‘Rage Quit’ (Released via Leathal Wreckords) from long time East-Coast Wicked Underground emcee who goes by the name of Fury is here and new D12 feature comes with it.

The 12-track LP includes guest appearances from D12, King Gordy, Riff Raff and Shaggy 2 Dope among others. Our boys Kuniva, Swifty McVay and Bizarre are featured on the title track “Rage Quit.”

It’s very rare to see three members of D12 on a track together these days so you better check the new track below!

David Beckham hangs out with D12 & Snoop Dogg at London show

Iconic football player, David Beckham hangs out with D12 and Snoop Dogg at their massive O2 Arena show in London.

Few days ago, Snoop Dogg arrived in Scotland to begin a massive European tour as a part of his I Wanna Thank Me world tour. The Long Beach legend was welcomed to Scotland by a bagpiper who played his 1999 collaboration with Dr. Dre, a mega-hit single “Still D.R.E.”

The Death Row Records boss took to Instagram to share a video clip of the moment, which featured Snoop busting some moves as the bagpiper played the iconic tune. “Just touched down in Scotland,” he captioned the post.

Snoop Dogg’s I Wanna Thank Me arena saw him headline shows in Scotland and Denmark before he taking on London’s O2 Arena show yesterday (March 21, 2023). The shows included performances from supporting acts: Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Obie Trice and D12 (Kuniva and Swifty McVay).

After Ed Sheeran showing up in Australia to hang out with our Shady boys, former Real Madrid and Manchester United football player, David Beckham is the latest superstar to kick it backstage with Swifty McVay and Kuniva. The picture was shared by D12’s official social media pages with the caption: “Look who came to check us out tonight in London. Salute David Beckham.”

Check the post below:

D12’s Swifty McVay taunts Melle Mel to diss Eminem

Swifty McVay of D12 is a recent rapper to weigh in on Melle Mel’s statement about the reason of Eminem being in the top 5 rappers of all time is because he is white.

In a recent interview with The Art Of Dialogue, Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five shared his opinion about Eminem being in the Top 5 rappers of all time list by Billboard and Vibe magazines: “Obviously, he’s a capable rapper. If we talk about sales and he sold more than everybody, okay, if we talk about rhyme style, okay, he got a rhyme style. But he is white! He is white! If Eminem was just another ni–a like the rest of us, would he be top 5 on that list when a ni–a can rhyme just as good as him is 35?! They had records and all that.”

50 Cent, Fat Joe, Papoose, Kxng Crooked, Kevin Gates, O’shea Jackson and Page Kennedy have all come together to defend Eminem against Melle Mel’s comments. To respond the backlash, Melle Mel recorded 8 minutes video from the guy where he defends his statement:

Melle Mel recorded a video from the gym where he says: “I said, Eminem is only number five on the list because he was white. I guess that started the uproar. Everybody is just so angry that I would say that. I’ve been branded a racist but that’s impossible, I’ve been playing with all the different kind of people in my life. Eminem made record, I guess it is called “White America,” where he said that he would be less popular if he was not white. So now we basically said the same thing. This is what Eminem says (plays White America where Eminem raps “Let’s do the math, if I was black, I woulda sold half I ain’t have to graduate from Lincoln High School to know that”) He also has another record “Till I Collapse” where he named five or six individuals that he put himself behind these five or six individuals. And I have said that he would not be in the top 5 other than the fact that he was white. He said that.”

Back in 2021, in an interview with VLAD TV, Melle Mel said he would easily beat Eminem in a rap battle: “I would easily beat Eminem in a battle. It would be the easiest thing I ever did. Easy. Technically he is a great rapper but I’m the greatest. I know how to write it. When I put it down it’s gonna stay down. It would be the easiest thing that I ever did. And when people bring that up, just say ‘you can’t beat Eminem’. I’ve been doing this all my life. I don’t even write how I used to write but still, easy. Rap is my destiny. Everybody that’s out there rapping, they all trying to do something that I did 40 years ago.”

Now Swifty McVay is ironically asking the hip-hop pioneer to actually go in a rap battle with Eminem and prove his point. “You got an opinion OG and you are an architect of this, but if you so competitive do a diss track for the culture and lets see how that works out for you [laughing emjis]. Just saying.” – McVay commented under one of the Instagram posts.

Ed Sheeran hangs out with Kuniva & Swifty McVay in Australia

Snoop Dogg kicked off his “I WANNA THANK ME” tour in Perth at RAC Arena on 27 February 2023 and brought Kuniva and Swifty McVay with him. It seems the D12 boys had a great time backstage with Ed Sheeran.

Yesterday, Saturday, March 4, 2023, D12 hit the stage at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne VIC. Swifty McVay and Kuniva performed “Rap Game,” “My Band,” “How Come,” “Purple Pills,” “S–t On You,” and “Revelation,” among other hit songs from D12 World and Devil’s Night albums.

Ed Sheeran, who is a big fan of Eminem and D12, attended the show in Melbourne. In the video clip shared by Kuniva, the pop star says he came all the way to Australia to see D12 performing.

In the caption, Kuniva wrote: “Shout out to Ed Sheeran for coming though last and showing love. I really did not know how big of a D12 fan he was. Was an honor meeting you and your wife. To be so humble with the amount of success you have obtained is a rare thing in this business. Very positive energy. Salute and much respect.”

Snoop Dogg and D12 have three shows remaining in Australia. You can check the schedule below.

Sun 5 Mar 2023
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Tue 7 Mar 2023
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
Wed 8 Mar 2023
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, SA

D12 & Snoop Dogg perform hit songs in Perth, Australia

Snoop Dogg kicked off his “I WANNA THANK ME” tour in Perth at RAC Arena today with D12’s Swifty McVay and Kuniva serving as an opening acts.

The Californian Hip-Hop icon, who hasn’t performed in Australia since 2014 when he headlined the Big Day Out, returned to the country shores for his ‘I WANNA THANK ME’ tour to celebrate the release of his 17th album ‘I Wanna Thank Me’, and documentary of the same name, released in 2019.

While the ‘I Wanna Thank Me’ documentary celebrates 25 years of Snoop Dogg – a career that has seen the Doggfather cement his undisputed influence on music with chart-topping, multi-platinum records, while also solidifying his importance as a cultural icon, actor and businessman – the upcoming Australian tour is all about the music!

Swifty McVay and Kuniva from D12 performed “Rap Game,” “My Band,” “Purple Pills,” “S–t On You,” and “Revelation,” among other hit songs from D12 World and Devil’s Night albums. Check out the next dates and video of the performances below:

Wed 1 Mar 2023
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney NSW
Thu 2 Mar 2023
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney NSW
Sat 4 Mar 2023
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Sun 5 Mar 2023
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Tue 7 Mar 2023
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
Wed 8 Mar 2023
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, SA

Dr. Dre joins Snoop Dogg on his Australian tour

The wait is over for Snoop Dogg fans. Kicking off in Perth at RAC Arena on 27 February 2023 today, Snoop will then head to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for two huge shows before performing two shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, a massive show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre before wrapping up the tour with a brand new show in Adelaide on March 08, 2023.

The Californian Hip-Hop icon, who hasn’t performed in Australia since 2014 when he headlined the Big Day Out, will returns to the country shores for his ‘I WANNA THANK ME’ tour, which will see the West Coast rap legend celebrate the release of his 17th album ‘I Wanna Thank Me’, and documentary of the same name, released in 2019.

While the ‘I Wanna Thank Me’ documentary celebrates 25 years of Snoop Dogg – a career that has seen the Doggfather cement his undisputed influence on music with chart-topping, multi-platinum records, while also solidifying his importance as a cultural icon, actor and businessman – the upcoming Australian tour will be all about the music!

Special guest include D12 (Swifty McVay, Kuniva and Bizarre), Obie Trice, Tha Dogg Pound, and Irish crew Versatile. It was reported that Detroit’s own Obie Trice was denied entry into the country for misbehavior. As it seems, Dr. Dre will join Snoop on stage as a surprise guest as the legendary duo has just checked in Perth, Australia. In his Instagram post, Snoop wrote: “Life story.”

Snoop Dogg’s Australian tour dates include:

Mon 27 Feb 2023
RAC Arena, WA
Wed 1 Mar 2023
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney NSW
Thu 2 Mar 2023
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney NSW
Sat 4 Mar 2023
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Sun 5 Mar 2023
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Tue 7 Mar 2023
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
Wed 8 Mar 2023
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, SA

D12 & Obie Trice to open for Snoop Dogg on 2023 Australian Tour

After almost 9 years, Snoop Dogg is coming back to Australia again and he’s bringing D12 with him!

The long-beach, California legend has officially dropped one of the most iconic special guest lineups ever for his “I Wanna Thank Me” tour! Former Shady Records artist Obie Trice, D12, Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger) and Irish hip-hop outfit Versatile will all be joining Snoop Dogg on his forthcoming arena tour.

“I Wanna Thank Me” tour will see the West Coast rap icon celebrate the release of his 17th album ‘I Wanna Thank Me’, and documentary of the same name, released in back 2019.

While the ‘I Wanna Thank Me’ documentary celebrates 25 years of Snoop Dogg – a career that has seen the Doggfather cement his undisputed influence on music with chart-topping, multi-platinum records, while also solidifying his importance as a cultural icon, actor and businessman – the upcoming Australian tour will be all about the music!

After last year’s historic Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime performance with Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak, Snoop was recently announced to join the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Snoop will be joining JAY- Z and in the hall.

“February x March 2023 im on tha way there it was worth tha wait ‼️‼️‼️” said Snoop on his social media accounts. Check out the tour dates and his post below:

Monday, 27th February – RAC Arena, Perth, WA
Wednesday, 1st March – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW
Thursday, 2nd March – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, 4th March – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Sunday, 5th March – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Tuesday, 7th March – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD
Wednesday, 8th March – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, SA

Tickets are on sale via TEG Dainty.

Bizarre of D12 pens heartfelt letter to Eminem after Rock Hall induction

Eminem’s artistic journey started in hungry desperation at an obscure studio in Detroit, on 8 Mile Road and yesterday it led him into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

The Detroit legend, in one the most triumphant moments of his much-decorated career, was enshrined in the rock hall during a long, star-filled ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Eminem, who was inducted by legendary producer Dr. Dre, and was joined by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Ed Sheeran, became the 20th inductee from Detroit  in the institution’s 36-year long history.

“I realize what an honor it is right now for me to be up here tonight, and what a privilege it is to do the music that I love — the music that basically saved my life,” said Eminem during his acceptance speech before reading an alphabetical list of more than 100 legendary names, famous and obscure — fittingly slipping into a rhythmic flow as he rattled them off.

“I would not be me without them. I am a high-school dropout with a hip-hop education, and these are my teachers. It is their night just as much as it is mine.” said Eminem.

It seems his long-time friend and D12 member Bizarre got emotional after watching Eminem getting recognized by the board of Hall Of Fame and penned heartful letter to Slim Shady on Instagram:

Man, where do I begin… We started off two kids from Detroit with the dream to some rappers… We put so much work into this from the days on Novara, the days on 7 Mile in Fairport… Catching the bus to how I can be down in Florida to meet Paul Rosenberg in New York… To the rap battles with Wendy Day… I think the worst day of my life was when my mom went out and moved me to Dallas, Texas at the middle of our journey. But I guess God had something planned for us because a month later you got signed to Dr. Dre… So I just want to give you your flowers and thank you for being a big brother and always believing in me. Believing in us, D12! Man, Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame… WOW! … I could not be more happier. Congratulations Eminem… You know Proof and Bugz are smiling right know…

You can check Bizarre’s post below:

New Song: Bizarre, Swifty McVay, Obie Trice – “Suicide”

Bizarre, Obie Trice and Swifty McVay have just dropped a new single, called “Suicide,” produced by Salam Wreck, who has previously collaborated with Eminem, D12, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Obie Trice and Daz Dillinger.

Earlier this year, D12’s Swifty McVay released an album titled Detroit Life 2 featuring guest appearances from Kuniva, Jon Connor, 80 Empire, Beez and Mr. Wrong among others.

Bizarre has recently linked up with Toronto production duo Adrian Rezza and Lucas Rezza, a/ka/ 80 Empire for their latest single entitled “So High” via Gladiator Records.

Obie Trice’s most recent project was released about 3 years ago, in 2019’s The Fifth which featured a collaboration with west coast legend Xzibit on a track “Space”.

You can bump the new track below:

Kuniva talks about “Lost Gold” album, today’s hip-hop scene, Proof & Eminem sacrifices for D12 & much more

Kuniva is a Detroit legend!

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of “Lost Gold” album, the legendary D12 member sat down with Marshall Mann’s The Spotify Scavenger podcast via Southpawer where the two talked about the importance of this digital rerelease in today’s hip hop world. D12 stories, Proof’s sacrifices for D12, the making of “My Brother’s Keeper,” working with Swifty McVay and much more!

On “Lost Gold” album

“I think this album was jewel that was missed because I only did a CD release when I released it and I felt it didn’t reach the masses because it was limited edition so I decided to go back and on 10th year anniversary release it digitally. Just so that the world to appreciate it and I want more people to hear it. Last time I did it it had mixtape feeling. This time its a solid LP project. I just want the world to experience this project.”

Writing process with other emcees, like Kid Vishis and Royce 5’9″ 

Competing with someone that you f**k with heavy and have a big respect, like Royce 5’9″ and Vishis, those are my brothers, I love them to death, I always viewed it as…I just want everybody to succeed. I want everybody to shine. How I was taught, just being in the group D12, we never competed with each other but we always made each other better. We were always taught to build up the next verse.

His thoughts on today’s hip-hop scene 

The state of hip-hop right now, I think it’s still great. I think its nothing but evolution. Everything evolves. I really f**k with, people laugh sometimes because they thought I would never picked them up but I love NLE Choppa, I like DaBaby, I like Migos. I rock with lots of new school stuff. You have to know, as an artist, that things change and nothing stays the same forever. And we have to change our substance too because in today’s world we could not get away with the s**t we were saying back then. We would be crucified. They would kill us. I don’t think we would survive in this day and age. As far as hip-hop scene today, there is always a great music, mediocre music, trash music and it’s always been like that. I rock with some of today’s music.

On Swifty McVay and “My Brother’s Keeper” album

First of all, I don’t have ‘a relationship’ with Swifty. That’s family. That’s my brother. I consider him as my blood brother. I just respect him so much. We came up together and we have been through a lot. I think one of the things that we have is mutual respect for the sacrifices that Proof made. Sacrifices that Marshall made. Sacrifices that Paul Rosenberg made. We have a dope fanbase. Our fanbase is dope. They took a chance on us when we first came out with Shady Records, you know Shady Records was created for D12. Marshall introduced us to the world. He introduced us to his fanbase and they embraced us. And I think we owed it to him to give him that. On top of that, me and Swifty still going on tour together and it just make sense to have music outside D12. It was actually our fanbase that suggested to do a joint album ‘My Brother’s Keeper.’ And we just gave what they wanted.

Hip top 5 artists and future plans

I always f**k with Nas, Jay and Em and eveything else under depends on how I feel. There is so many, I wish I could name… By the way, I got new album coming out, besides Lost Gold, and there are songs with Big Proof. Proof’s son actually gifted me with these songs.

Kuniva then continues Big Proof’s sacrifices to the group and tells some stories about D12. You can watch the entire thing below and make sure to stream “Lost Gold” album now available on all digital platforms!

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