DeShaun Dupree Holton (a.k.a. Proof) was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He was born on October 2, 1973 to a single mother. His father, a music producer named McKinley Jackson, left Holton and his mother to pursue a career in music.

Known as Maximum at the time, Proof befriended Detroit rapper Eminem in the fall of 1990 while Em was passing out fliers for his performance at Center Line high school.

Doing freestyle / battle-raps alongside Em bolstered Proof’s rise to prominence in the hip-hop scene as he went on to join Bassmint Productions then Soul Intent, followed by D12. Proof was eventually considered as Em’s hype man. In 2001, D12 released Devil’s Night, their most famous album. He also played Lil Tic in the film 8 Mile.

He has also done solo work and collaborated with artists like 50 Cent and Method Man.

Sadly, he was shot and killed in a Detroit nightclub on April 11, 2006. According to local police, he was shot after an altercation had occurred, but witnesses tell different accounts of what actually happened that night.