We had the chance to catch up with D12 while on their current Australian tour. They discuss topics from missing dates on the Heatwave festival to what it's like without founding member Big Proof. Check it.

Thanks for talking to us today how was your whirlwind trip to the Gold Coast?

Everything is good, its all good.

So tell us how has your trip been so far here in Oz?

Yeah man its been great we love it. Since the first day we came we have had a ball. We rocked the show last night and the show was so much fun. We was able to go out and have a ball out later that night and even though we were jet-lagged and all and we managed to still have the energy to rock it. So yeah it's been great. Yeah man we just got here from Melbourne man, big shout out to Melbourne that’s where the party is at.

So how was the Heatwave Festival for you guys in Melbourne?

Yeah that’s what went so great it was so much fun you know. It was really dope. They had some great acts Obie, Tech Nine Chamillionaire and others it was dope man. We really had a lot of fun.

So when you guys come to place like Australia how do you compare the rection you get here to the reaction you get in the states?

The states is the states and its a little different man, you know we love the states man but when you go overseas we feel such a strong embrace yo. Its magnified and we can appreciated that embrace and it makes us want to come back. Its what we love. We get greeted with open arms and we greet with open arms and they really let you know how much they appreciate the music. They are not afraid to express themselves on that level we appreciate all of that. Its whole different vibe we can appreciate.

So you guys have had so much success around the world but especially here in Australia you have had number one records and singles. What do you think it is about you guys that resonates with Australian fans?

You know man we just love to have fun that’s it. We like to smile and laugh and even if people are going through a lot of stuff we are not just taking it all too serious you know what I am saying.We want to be fun people to hangout with and we are . We are like that through our music as well and that’s what kind of draws the crowd through us and we don’t have a big old mystique about us and we want fans to think it would be fun to hang out with these guys. We like to have fun man. I mean people here want to have too and the relationship works well with the fans here cause they are so cool.

So touching again on the Heatwave Festival again, what happened in Adelaide you guys missed the date and it left some fans upset, can you give us your side of the story?

Nah man nothing much it was just a immigration problem. It was nothing to do with us it was a paperwork issue with immigration man. So we came through as soon as we possibly could it was not D12 it was just that problem. I mean we where ready and that's all that it was. If any fans are upset you know we still apologise on behalf of the immigration and this stuff happens and we love the great country of Australia and we gotta come back and make it up and we will make it up to you all.

How many times have you guys been here before?

We have been here quite a few times we were here in 2001 and then did a few dates in 2004 and now we are back here again. We have been able to do a longer run this time so we really appreciate being able to rock more spots this time around,

Speaking of the shows this time around you guys are doing some awesome intimate shows and even touring some smaller regional areas what are you looking forward to most?

Its real rare opportunity for us to get up close and personal with the fans man. We loving getting as close to the fans as we can so they can get to see that we are real regular people just like anyone else and we love connecting to people on that level you know. We don't like larger than life type people and I think that's one thing that has kept us so relevant. We have never let anything go to our heads and we always keep a level head about everything. We have remained those same people those same guys from all that time ago. There is no Hollywood shit here. We just US. You know what i'm saying and we wear our hearts on our sleeve. What we are is what we are. Just looking forward to connecting with the fans on that level and being closer with them and letting them know how much we appreciate them and getting them involved with the show and giving the best show we can possibly give them. The smaller shows is a great way to do that.

What are you guys up-to recording wise. Its been so long between studio albums, and do you guys have to wait for Eminem to be ready before you can release and album?

Yeah we still making music all the time you know whether its on our own or with group music. We are always coming up with idea's and we are just waiting on Em to bring though his element to the music like how we always do. You know what I am saying so we are just waiting on that Green light. We all still record together everybody is still family over here and the thing is Shady at the moment is at a place were we are rebuilding the label. We are reconstructing the label we got some new artists and we got US and you know D12 ain’t going no where you know. We will be back in full effect real real soon and recording. Everything is great man we just happy we are still relevant and people still want to see us and we definitely coming back and it will be stronger than ever.

Its been a while since the unfortunate death of Big Proof, in retrospect how is it now many years on? What do you guys miss most about him and what's how do you think he would feel about d12 today?

Well one thing we miss the most is his personality. I mean he had the personality that would light up the room or anything for that matter. I mean if we was having a bad day he would always brighten it up and we miss that so much. He was just a free spirit that’s the best way to put it.

There where so many different sides to proof. He was so many different things to a lot of people, but to us he was a big brother he was mentor and a that’s what he was. If it wasn’t for him it wouldn’t be D12. This was his idea and this was his baby,. This is his creation so this is his legacy. We just keep going day to day doing our best day to day. We try to keep it moving in his name we want to keep this group going cause this is a part of his dream we are all a part of this dream and we all had the one dream. Here we are and he will never be forgotten, we just have to keep moving and that what he would want us to keep doing. He would love that and we are still smiling and we are still having fun.

So what advice do you guys have for your up and coming rappers

Stay consistent and treat your passion like everyone else treats their 9-5 jobs. Don’t let a day go by that you don’t work on your passion. Keep making music and getting it out there and have a huge work ethic. Always keep creating and step into a zone where you thinking about putting your own music out. Don’t go waiting on getting a deal. Get your music out to your fans you know. The stronger the work ethic the more people want to work with you.

Thanks so much for your time and hope the rest of your tour goes smoothly

Yeah we cant wait thanks.

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All the dates for the tour are here:
http://www.theaureview.com/news/d12-announce-australian-tour-dates