Eminem, Kon Artis, Kuniva, Proof and Swift - collectively known as D12 - need very little introduction. The group rose to prominence on a crest of Eminem-mania and, unfortunately, were seen as little more than Slim Shady's sub-standard mates despite the quality of their debut album Devil's Night. Well, D12 World looks set to put the record straight once and for all - D12 are more than just the crew of some white guy from Detroit.

Granted, there's no escaping the influence of Mr Mathers whose voice opens the album in crushing fashion. With no need for the intros of all the albums from D12 and Eminem to date, Git Up is a barrage of his rapping ability which lets us know that, "D Twizzy are back up in the hizzy!" All six of the guys get an outing on Loyalty with the welcome addition of Obie Trice.

The air of D12 World is very mixed but unsurprisingly there's a lot of "real" hip-hop in evidence, not least through the offerings that were first given light on the bootleg Eminem EP Straight From The Lab. Six In The Morning and Keep Talkin' both debuted at the back end of 2003.

Probably the two most un-Shady Records type songs on the album come through cleverly restricted external influences. While other rappers can collaborate with ease it's a little bit difficult when there's six in a group. D12 find it hard enough to all fit on one track as it is. However the Lil' John produced 40 Oz is a contender for the album's strongest track with its heavy hip-hop vibe. Like Lil' John's current masterpiece (Usher's Yeah), it's a genuine club banger.

American Psycho 2 is much darker with Cypress Hill's B Real supplying the chorus. Bizarre's verse on the track is typically obscene but it's shrouded in humour, with him stating: "I ain't a racist - I just hate whites, fags and dykes, blacks and transvestites." The dark overtones in the track are somewhat less subtle than Just Like U, which has school kids providing the chorus, which always strikes me as a little eerie.

D12 World isn't all doom and gloom though - I'll Be Damned and Leave Dat Boy Alone are both fairly chilled out with the former carrying a distinct old skool vibe. U R the One is about as close to a ballad as you'll get from this lot, but Bitch is a return to tried and tested misogynistic lyrics with it being a "song for the ho-s".

In stark contrast to Devil's Night, there's a strangely cathartic nature to some of the stuff on this album. How Come has Eminem expressing all types of emotions, even dating back to Uncle Ronnie who Stan was so sorry about. Good Die Young is one of the most emotive rap songs I've heard, paying homage to slain former member Bugz whose dying wish was for Swift to take his place. Anyone who claims D12 glamorise the gangsta lifestyle should turn their ears this way. The claims that hip-hop stars live it up because they feel immortal are refuted with: "They say the good die young / That's why I know that we go have fun in this life 'cos you only get one."

Not so long ago I wrote, "Fingers crossed that My Band is the Purple Pills novelty track just there to generate interest. Scrap that, I've got everything crossed that that's the case." Well, D12 World has answered my hopes because this is a genuinely fantastic album. Forget about Kanye West's The College Dropout being hip-hop album of the year so far, this takes the crown.

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