Eminem and D12 Working on Mixtape and Album

Eminem has joined his D12 posse for a new round of recording to be used on a mixtape and eventual album. According to group member Bizarre, it was important for Em to get his solo career back on track before a reunion, but the initial success of 'Recovery' and its first Number One single 'Not Afraid' seem to have done just that.

"Right now we're working on this mixtape," Bizarre told MTV News. "We decided we should work on this mixtape to get the streets a little hot right quick then drop the album. We're kinda doing both at the same time. We're definitely back in the lab working. All original material. If you got some beats man, hit me up, man. We don't discriminate when it comes to music -- ain't no politics with us. If you got some fresh music, some hotness, we got you."

He ain't lying. D12 does appear open to receiving outside beats on the project and Bizarre even gave his personal email address to producers listening to Shade 45 yesterday morning. Eminem's Shady Records productions has been on hiatus since his initial retirement, and while he's come back as rapper, he hasn't been making his own beats as of yet. For Biz and the rest of the group, Em only rapping and joining them in the booth is just fine for now.

"Em is sounding crazy," he said. "He always sounds crazy. This dude is an alien. He's probably got hundreds of raps thought about already, in different styles and different patterns. That's one dude you can't compare yourself to ... or worry about what he's doing. If you worry about that cat, you're gonna be lost."

The mixtape is tentatively planned for release on Devil's Night -- the night before Halloween and the name of the group's debut release from June 2001. There's no word yet on a potential release date for the studio album.