Although they did not attend the same high school, Eminem and Proof have been friends since 1988. They used to live on the same street in Detroit.
The test used to go to Osbourne High School while Eminem attended Lincoln High School. Both friends used to skip high school so they could rap together – in fact, Eminem skipped Lincoln High and used to come to Proof’s school very often, because both friends wanted to rap together. This is how they met: Website design By BotEap.com“I was skipping school, and he was also skipping school, handing out flyers for his concert he was having at Centerline. That had to be, like, ’88 or something. ?? (Proof) Website design By BotEap.comSome underground (white) Detroit Mcs like Backstab the Kingpin are convinced of Proof’s racism. But Deshaun’s statements seem to prove otherwise. Website design By BotEap.comCDNow has asked Proof how he felt about Eminem’s skin color at the time they met: Website design By BotEap.comCDNow: Did you wonder what this blonde and white boy was doing? Website design By BotEap.comProof: ?? You know, I went to Catholic school and I had a great, great friend of mine who happened to be Irish; we were best friends since the sixth grade. So when i saw [Eminem] it was white, I didn’t even jump like that; when it hit, he was crazy. What got us high and becoming great friends was that we both rhymed “first place” and “birthday,” and we’ve been together ever since. [laughs]. ?? Website design By BotEap.comEminem and Proof have been true friends from the beginning. When Eminem was kicked out of his house, he slept at Proof’s house.
It is well known that Proof is an amazing freestyler. He won the Source magazine freestyling contest in 1999. He’s a better freestyler than Marshall, but Marshall’s strength is in the way he handles words in his lyrics. That’s exactly what Proof claims about his complementary talent: Website design By BotEap.com?? We were both impressed with each other. The advantage I have over Em is freestyle; I’m the type of guy to run wild, right? The advantage he had over me was that he could write intricately; he knew how to put together a song and bring up feelings. That’s why I traveled under him, like, “Hey, show me the ropes, buddy.” Website design By BotEap.comThe idea of group D12 made up of talented MCs and sick aliases popped into Proof’s mind: Website design By BotEap.com“I was in New York; I had this deal with Tommy Boy that didn’t work out, unfortunately. But I just had the idea that we could put together a team of MCs, put a lot of Detroit in when it comes to having MCs with skills. They all took alone, so we’ll create aliases, like Slim Shady from Eminem and I’m Derty Harry, and we’ll call it Dirty Dozen, and right now, to be honest with you, we thought The Dirty Dozen was a Western movie – we didn’t know it was an army movie [laughs].
That fits us, the military rather than Westerners, because we see ourselves more as gun slingers, letter slingers. So the idea was to make a pact while this team, the one that leaves first, returns and stays with the rest of the group. “ Website design By BotEap.comProof has always relied on Eminem’s loyalty, even if some other members of the group may have been concerned: Website design By BotEap.com?? I do not; I’ve been there since day one, almost. I think the rest of the group may not have been there, but Proof has been by Eminem’s side all this time. I play a leadership role in the group, where I talk to everyone else; Em is like the president and I am the general. I talk to the rest of the guys, line them up, and show them the address. It is also a family so there will be a lot of fights and disputes and some people might have felt that it might not be how it should be. So yeah, there were times when people felt weird about things. But now everyone thinks about it, and we were tripping over nothing. ?? Website design By BotEap.comAccording to Proof, Eminem’s success was the best thing that could have happened to D12: Website design By BotEap.com?? Right. Some people look at us like, “You will be Eminem’s group. You will be in his shadow.” They don’t realize how positive and great it is to hear that; if you’re in the shadow of a guy who can sell nearly 10 million records in the states alone, great. That is not a displeasure to us. But when they listen to the album, they hear the individuality of each person, how they all defend themselves. ?? Website design By BotEap.comIt is so true that each D12 emcee has their own talent and ability to rap. Website design By BotEap.comIt is less well known that Proof’s first stage name was “Maximum.” Proof has always been appreciated in Detroit for his raps and freestyle qualities. He changed his nickname when people started calling him “Living Proof”, because in many people’s minds, Proof was “living proof of the living MCs in Detroit”. Website design By BotEap.comProof has collaborated and continues to collaborate with numerous artists such as Dogmatic.
The first Proof CD released was called “From Death”. and was co-produced with Da Goon Squad. Website design By BotEap.comHave you released a CD called ?? Promatic ?? featuring Dogmatic and a six-track solo EP called “The Search For Jerry Garcia.”
Besides Eminem, Detroit has been very influential for Proof, who describes his hometown as “the kind of place where eye contact can get you killed.” and also how ?? a city where the sun never shines, full of potholes, snow and scammers willing to take out everything you have.