Kanye West has enjoyed an extensive and varied career as a producer, though some have forgotten one of his unlikeliest contributions. Back in 2004, Yeezy laced D12 with the titular track of their sophomore album D12 World, marking the first collaboration between Ye and the Dirty Dozen. Though the track was ultimately rather brief, it made for an interesting stylistic departure for the group, who traditionally stuck to instrumentals from their in-house team of Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Mr. Porter. Yet Ye's sample-based grooves blended quite nicely with D12's zany lyricism, and "D12 World" aged rather nicely all things considered.
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Yesterday, Bizarre took a moment to share a throwback picture, presumably taken during song's recording sessions. It should be noted that Eminem is not present in the picture, nor did he contribute to the song in question. Still, the picture finds Yeezy at the center, standing flanked by Big Proof (Rest In Peace), Kuniva, Kon Artis, Bizarre, and Swifty. In the comments, producer Salam Wreck chimed in with some insight, writing "I remember that night" and tagging Swift McVay; the presence of three crying-laughter emojis suggest debauchery ensued.
While it's unclear how D12 and Kanye West ultimately linked up in the first place, it's possible that Royce Da 5'9" played a role in facilitating the meeting. Kanye and the Detroit lyricist previously worked together a song called "Heartbeat," though a premature leak ultimately drove a wedge between them. Of course, that's only a theory; it's equally possible that Ye admired what D12 was cooking up, and simply wanted a piece of the action. Shout out to Peter S. Bizarre for sharing one from the vaults.