D12 works the road to back sophomore album

D12, rapper Eminem's side project, supports its recently released second album, "D12 World," with a U.S. club tour.

The Detroit-based rap outfit gets things started on June 19 in Milwaukee, and stops so far are planned in 26 cities through late July. Tickets for about half of the shows are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

Eminem will appear with the group on select dates, none of which were confirmed at press time, according to a spokesperson.

Released in late April, "D12 World" sold about 544,000 copies during its first week in stores, and debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart. The set features the singles "My Band" and "40 Oz.," which the group released simultaneously. Both cuts are streaming at D12's website.

"D12 World" is the follow-up to D12's 2001 debut, "Devil's Night." That set, which spawned the hits "Purple Pills" and "Fight Music," has sold four million copies worldwide, according to a press release.

In a biography posted at the D12's website, crew-member Proof described how the group was formed.

"We all knew each other growing up in Detroit," Proof said. "I used to sneak Em into my school lunchroom just so he could battle. Later, when we started battling once a month at Maurice Malone's Hip-Hop Shop, everybody had a crew. So, we decided to form our own. That's how D12 was born. Before we even thought about making records, our only goal was to be like verbal ninjas and kick a--."