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"It’s a great thing to be associated with Eminem. But it can also be a hindrance. We’re trying to show all six play equal parts in the group."
——Paul Rosenberg, Eminem manager, Shady Records head

WELCOME TO D12 WORLD

Eminem's Detroit Homies Come Out From Underneath the Shadow
They’re Eminem’s Motor City homies, but now they’re prepared to break out on their own.

The hip-hop sextet—Proof, Kon Artis, Kuniva, Bizarre, Swift and Em himself—return with their sophomore Shady/Interscope effort, D12 World, April 27. The new album hits retail almost three years after the release of their debut, Devil’s Night, which debuted at #1 in June 2001, with 370k in sales, going on to sell more than 2 million to date.

Expectations are soaring for the latest effort, with the label putting north of 1.4 million albums on the street. Dr. Dre produced a couple of tracks, while Eminem’s hand is all over the record. Cypress Hill and labelmate Obie Trice also make appearances.

Said the label’s sales/marketing guru Steve Berman: "The goal was to show how the group has developed as a well-rounded act, and the work that [Shady Records head and Eminem manager] Paul Rosenberg and Eminem have done, on both the creative and marketing level, to establish the group. The album is even deeper than the first one, and the group is committed to working hard to make it happen."

Retail insiders are looking for first-week sales in the 500k-600k range.

The first video/single, "My Band," which prominently features the group as a boy band and Slim Shady in a matador’s outfit, has already crossed over into the Top 5 at Pop radio, while the video was premiered on Launch, where the band is also Artist of the Month," then aired on TRL, 106 & Park, and Fuse. The video nabbed #1 on TRL the first week of April.

The tongue-in-cheek clip confirms that D12 are not simply Marshall Mathers’ backing group.

"It’s a great thing to be associated with Eminem," agrees Rosenberg. "But it can also be a hindrance. We’re trying to show all six play equal parts in the group."

Some of the project’s marketing and promotional initiatives include:

  • Album includes DVD with docmentary footage and the explicit versions of the "My Band" and "40 Oz." videos.
  • Collect six D12 digital trading cards featured on www.d12online.com and qualify to win a PlayStation 2 and a trip for two to Detroit to hang with the grorup.
  • Online D12 player offering streams of tracks like "My Band," "40 Oz." and "6 in the AM."
  • Making the Video premiered on MTV March 17, two separate documentaries debut this weekend, performance on Direct FX.
  • U.K. promotional tour includes performance at Shepherds Bush Empire (4/8) and on BBC’s Top of the Pops (4/9).
  • Legitimate digital downloads of "My Band" set a record with 16,500 in a single week, besting OutKast’s "Hey Ya!"
  • Rolling Stone cover of Eminem and the band in May issue.
  • "40 Oz." video to be included in 100k issues of XXL.
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