last band standing

August 29, 2001

St. Lunatics

Vital stats

members: Nelly, Ali, City Spud, Kyjuan, Murphy Lee

hometown: St. Louis, Mo.

albums: “Free City,” “St. Lunatics”

single: “Midwest Swing”

drug of choice: smoke an “L” in the benz-i (marijuana)

  Judges' scores
JD ZC
beats: 2 4
originality: 2 3
lyrics: 3 3
flow: 4 4
image: 2 2
  

D-12

Vital stats

members: Eminem, Swift, Kuniva, KonArtist, Bizarre, Proof

hometown: Detroit, Mich.

album: “Devil’s Night”

single: “Purple Pills”/ “Purple Hills”

drug of choice: popping pills, shrooms, ecstasy,

pretty much anything mind-altering

 
Judges' scores
JD ZC
beats: 5 4
originality: 3 5
lyrics: 4 3
flow: 3 4
image: 5 4

Face-off: Both rap posses are fronted by talented hip-hop superstars each with its own unique talents.

Eminem brings his trademark twisted story-telling and rhyme work to D-12, while Nelly’s masterful use of vocal rhythms and smooth flow give life to the St. Lunatics.

The other members of D-12 and St. Lunatics are all competent rappers, but none really stand out as possible solo talents except D-12’s Swift. No matter how much Slim Shady and Nelly claim they are just members of a larger group, D-12 and St. Lunatics will always be known as backup groups.

Weak link: D-12’s flow is crushed under the poor rapping ability of Bizarre, the group’s twisted Fat Albert. However, he helps put the group on the edge with his psychotic lyrics.

Aside from Nelly, the band sounds just like your average, everyday rapper. The group overuses phrases much like Master P and his No Limit soldiers did a few years ago.

The winner: Eminem stomps all over the St. Lunatics with his sleazy production on “Purple Pills,” a track lifted by Slim Shady and Swift’s vocals.