Mojo (Publisher) (p.120) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A] fascinating solo debut....He balances provocation with inspection."
Personnel: Proof (rap vocals); D-12, 50 Cent, King Gordy, MC Breed, Method Man, Mudd, Nate Dogg, Obie Trice, T3, B Real, Rude Jude, Swifty McVay, 1st Born, J-Hill (rap vocals).
On "Clap Wit Me," the first track on his major-label solo debut, Proof announces "the world's been 'sleep long enough, they better wake up." The Detroit MC has good reason to be antsy for recognition. While the larger-than-life Eminem and the over-the-top ranting of Bizarre may have defined D-12, fellow member Proof was operating on the eccentric plane of artists like Madlib & Kool Keith for years on his own. He won awards as a rising star in the 1990s and released underground records before SEARCHING FOR JERRY GARCIA.
The unlikely hip-hop motif of the Grateful Dead (which continues on album flap images of skeletons and fire) is just a remote corner of Proof's chaotic and fertile mind. On a record that flows with an organic smoothness, Proof raps with control and bravado as he lyrically boils over with pain, power, and vulnerability, spitting lines like "life's been hard so far but I've managed to bluff" as he dangles his feet further over the edge. While his debut certainly isn't hurt by the presence of VIPs like 50 Cent and Method Man, it's Proof who rules the show with unwavering command. Fittingly, the gloriously unstable Proof finishes his coming-out party with a complete breakdown on "Kurt Kobain," a breathlessly sincere reflection.