Rap Group D12 Appears at Bar Mitvah

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - The Detroit rap group D12 appeared at a different kind of event over the weekend: the bar mitzvah of Ethan Weisman. Ethan's father, Southfield real estate developer Gary Weisman, arranged to have the rappers show up for his son's big day in this Detroit suburb.

D12 - without their founder, Eminem - spent about a half hour meeting the 300 guests, taking pictures and signing autographs. They also brought and signed T-shirts, albums and posters.
"It was way out there, but it was fun,'' Gary Weisman told The Oakland Press of Pontiac. "It met all my expectations. The D12 guys were fantastic. Everything was perfect.''

D12's manager, Mark Hicks, said the five members of the group enjoyed the party. "It was a lot of fun,'' Hicks said. "The kids were nice and just went wild when the guys walked in.''

D12's debut album, "Devil's Night,'' hit the Billboard charts at No. 1 when it was released in June. It sold more than 1 million copies and made headlines with some of its subject matter. A song about drugs, "Purple Pills,'' had to be changed to "Purple Hills'' to get airplay.

Weisman acknowledged that he was "concerned'' about that, which was one reason he had the group make an appearance without performing.