Proof (rapper)

Proof (rapper)
Proof in August 2005
Background information
Birth name	DeShaun Dupree Holton
Also known as	Derty Harry, Big Proof
Born	October 2, 1973 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, USA
Died	April 11, 2006 (aged 32)
Genres	Hip hop, midwest hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, record producer, actor
Years active	1992 – 2006
Labels	Iron Fist Records
Associated acts	Twiztid, D12, Eminem, Promatic, K-Stone, Bizarre, Goon Sqwad, 5 Elementz, Soul Intent, 50 Cent, Obie Trice, King Gordy

DeShaun Dupree Holton (October 2, 1973 – April 11, 2006), better known by his stage name, Proof, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably, D12. He was a close childhood friend of rapper, Eminem, from the time that both were 14 years old; although the pair attended different schools they lived on the same block. In 2006, Proof was shot and killed during an altercation at the CCC nightclub in Detroit.

Early life

Holton was born to Pepper Holton, a single mother, whilst his father, Mckinley Jackson, was a music producer who left to pursue his career prior to Holton's birth. Holton grew up in Warren, Michigan, the city where he met childhood friend and future musical collaborator Marshall Mathers (Eminem).

Music career

Early career

Under the moniker, "Proof", Holton first rose to national prominence as a part of the rap group, D12, a hip-hop group he was instrumental in forming; although he had achieved a degree of success prior to its formation. He was featured in The Source's "Unsigned Hype" column in 1999 and came close to winning the 1998 Blaze Battle. His first television appearance was in the video for Aaliyah's "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number". In 2000, Proof toured with Eminem, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in the Up In Smoke Tour, performing as a hype man for Eminem. He gained further exposure in 2001 with the release of Devil's Night, D12's debut album on Interscope Records. The following year, Proof collaborated with Dogmatic on "Promatic" and joined Eminem's "Anger Management" tour in support of the release. He appeared in the film, 8 Mile, along with Eminem and Xzibit; although, in the film, the character he was the basis for, Future, was portrayed by Mekhi Phifer. Proof instead played Lil' Tic, a freestyle rapper who rap battles the lead character, B-Rabbit, played by Eminem. To capitalize on the publicity from the film, Proof released a six-song EP called Electric CoolAid: Acid Testing. Proof also starred in a cameo role, alongside the rest of D12, in The Longest Yard, appearing as "Basketball Convicts" during the credits.

Solo work

Proof released a solo album, featuring collaborations with 50 Cent,Method Man, Nate Dogg, B-Real of Cypress Hill, T3 of Slum Village, Obie Trice Eminem and D12 . The album was released on his own Iron Fist Records label, in conjunction with Alliance Entertainment's IDN Distribution. Proof said that he did not produce the record with Shady Records or Aftermath because he wanted to "build his own thing".^{[citation needed]} Called Searching for Jerry Garcia, the album was released on August 9, 2005 on his own Iron Fist Records label, ten years to the day following Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia's death. It contained the prophetic song Kurt Kobain in which he wrote of his own death and 'passing the sign' to 1st Born as his protege once he was gone. This release did not make a significant impact on the charts despite its list of guest appearances.

Originally, Proof realized that Eric Clapton's son fell to his death from a 53rd-story window.

Proof has said that he considered Garcia to be a "genius" who suffered from common character flaws. Proof has stated his admiration for Garcia's eclectic style, saying that Garcia "went against the grain". The album received favorable reviews, which commented on its "eclectic" and "introspective" nature.

Proof stated how he wanted to be remembered in an interview with SOHH.com shortly after his album release: "I want people to say that I was a true artist, that I did it best and stayed true to Hip Hop roots [...] I'd want people to understand I did it for the love, not for the charts."

Proof also recorded a track, "How I Live," with Twiztid for their album Independence Day shortly before his death.

Death

On April 11, 2006, Holton was shot in the back at the CCC Club on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan, by Mario Etheridge while playing a game of billiards. A pool game between Keith Bender and Holton turned into a heated argument and escalated into a physical altercation. Etheridge, who was also Bender's cousin, fired a warning-shot into the air. It was reported that Holton shot and killed Bender in the altercation. Bender, however, was shot and later died from his injuries. Etheridge shot Holton in the head and back with four shots. He died on the spot. At the time of his death, Holton's blood alcohol content was 0.32 percent, four times the legal DUI limit. An autopsy revealed that Holton did not have any illegal drugs in his system. Bender's family began a wrongful death suit against Holton's estate. Authorities determined Etheridge was acting lawfully in defense of another; however, he was found guilty of carrying an illegal firearm and discharging it inside of a building.

On April 19, 2006, Proof was buried in The Fellowship Chapel in Detroit to a full house of 2,660, including Eminem, D12, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, Snoop Dogg and Royce da 5'9", with thousands more mourning outside.

Several months later, hip-hop magazine XXL published an alternative account of the evening in a feature article with information from Proof's friend, a police officer who accompanied him on the night of the shooting and claimed to have brought the gun that was used to kill Bender. Mudd claimed that his group went to the CCC Club after going to a strip club, began drinking and said Proof played pool against Bender. He observed Proof and Bender begin arguing, noting that "it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for Proof to get drunk and fight." Mudd said after they were separated Bender hit Proof and a fight between the two broke out. Shortly afterward he saw Etheridge shoot his gun up into the air to break up the fight. Proof then demanded Mudd's gun. And after Mudd refused, Proof pulled the weapon from Mudd's pants and fired it into the air. Mudd claimed that Bender started attacking Proof, trying to get the gun out of his hand, and that during the scuffle, Etheridge fired shots that hit both men.

Tributes

In 2007, Proof's mother, Pepper Holton, created the Proof Foundation in her son's memory. The Proof Foundation is a Michigan-based non-profit organization formed to honor and preserve the legacy of DeShaun “Proof” Holton through the promotion of music and arts education by providing scholarships to low income children from single parent households. Proof's death was mentioned in Eminem's 2009 album Relapse ("Deja Vu", "Beautiful" and "Elevator"), and on his 2010 album Recovery ("Going Through Changes", "Talkin' 2 Myself", and "You're Never Over"). In 2010, he made a song called "G Daddy" that explained the life and background behind Proof. In 2011, the song "Doody" (earlier titled "Difficult"), a tribute to Proof by Eminem, was leaked. Obie Trice, an old friend of Proof and Eminem, recorded a chorus for the song. Rapper Royce da 5'9" made a tribute to Proof on a song from his Bar Exam mixtape, he would later dedicate a song titled "Security" from his album Success Is Certain. On March 12, 2012, Obie Trice dropped a mixtape called "Watch the Chrome" and on the mixtape was a track called "Big Proof's Back", a song dedicated to Proof. On April 11, 2012, Obie Trice, Kuniva, and Tony Yayo gave shout outs to Proof and also reminded fans on Twitter to remember Proof. Swifty McVay made a tribute song to DeShaun called "Guardian Angel", which premiered on his recent LP.

Discography

Main article: Proof discography

Solo albums

• Anywhere (1996)
• I Miss the Hip Hop Shop (2004)
• Searching for Jerry Garcia (2005)

Discography with D12

• The Underground EP (1996)
• Devil's Night (2001)
• D12 World (2004)

Filmography

• 8 Mile (2002), Lil Tic
• The Longest Yard (2005), Basketball Convict

Videography

• "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" (1995), extra
• "The Real Slim Shady" (2000), extra
• "Shit on You" (2000)
• "Purple Pills" (2001)
• "Fight Music" (2001)
• "Rap Name" (2002), extra
• "My Band" (2004)
• "40 Oz" (2004)
• "How Come" (2004)
• "U R The One" (2004)
• "Like Toy Soldiers" (2005) - acting as Bugz
• "Welcome 2 Detroit" (2005), extra
• "Gurls Wit Da Boom" (2005)
• "Nightmares (2003), extra

External links

• Proof at the Internet Movie Database
• Detailed account of Proof's death, funeral and exact time of death