Eminem is back in the center of controversy with the release of his new group's album Devil's Night. D12 is a group of six Detroit-based rappers who pledged to come back for the others if one of them made it into the game. As everyone knows, Eminem made it big into the game, stayed good to his word and came back for his boyz (five rookies): Proof, Bizarre, Kon Artis, Swift and Kuniva.

I had very low expectations for this album prior to hearing the very impressive first single, "Purple Pills." When I finally laid my hands on Devil's Night, it didn't meet my recently raised expectations. As executive producer of the album, Eminem's production is borderline impressive, but seems to pail slightly in comparison to the four Dr. Dre produced tracks: "Nasty Mind", "Fight Music", "Ain't Nuttin But Music" and "Revelation". At times, the five rookies to the game, flirted with talent, but they've still got a long road ahead of them. However I've got to admit that despite Bizarre's crazily messed up lyrics, his flow and voice are distinct enough to provide appeal. The five rookies also struggled with lyrical cohesion. When they struggled to follow the tracks theme, you could count on them to talk about drugs and the ladies. But all that aside, they've got skills. The lustre of jumping from the underground to the mainstream could throw anyone off point. Their sophomore album will be a true test of their emcee skills.

The first single, "Purple Pills" is very impressive. Em's tight production lends well to his cohorts rhyming abilities. Dr. Dre's tight production on "Nasty Mind", "Aint' Nuttin But Music", and "Fight Music" allow them to rise to the top. It was a mistake to leave their single "shit on you" off the album. That track built a lot of the hype for this album, so naturally it should have been included.

After all of Eminem's recent success, there's no mystery behind the success this album will attain. But when the dust settles, I think people will see the album as not much more than average. Em's production needs some fine-tuning and the five other members of D12 need this summer's tour to help hone their emcee skills. If D12 is able to stick together, watch for a much tighter sophomore album. In the mean time, don't be fooled by Devil's Night's #1 billboard position, this album felt more like a work in progress.

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