D12

In 2001, Eminem brought his rap group, D12, to the popular music scene. In 2001, D12 released their hit debut album Devil's Night.

The first single released off of the album was "Purple Pills", an ode to recreational drug use. (In the UK this was preceded by "Shit on You", included on the special edition version of the album.) The version of "Purple Pills" released for radio and music television was heavily rewritten to remove many of the song's references to drugs and sex, and renamed "Purple Hills". While the first single was a hit, the album's second single, "Fight Music", was not as successful, in part due to its timing in relation to the 9/11 attacks.

After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio, later regrouping to release their second album, D12 World, in 2004, which featured the popular hit single release "My Band". The other members of D12 have appeared as guests on all of Eminem's albums since The Marshall Mathers LP.

In April 2006 D12 member Deshaun "Proof" was killed in club brawl involving U.S. military veteran Keith Bender Jr, who was killed by Proof. The eruption is suspected to have been due to an argument over a game of pool. Proof was then allegedly shot by the bouncer Mario Etheridge, Bender's cousin. He was then taken by private vehicle to St. John Health's Conner Creek Campus, an outpatient emergency treatment site, and was pronounced dead on arrival shortly thereafter.

During an interview, D12 member Bizarre said that Interscope does not want D12's third album to be released until after Eminem's next album. He said that Eminem is not featured on his new album Blue Cheese & Coney Island because "he's busy doing his thing".