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Swollen Members: Mad Child
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Swollen Members is a Canadian hip hop group hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting principally of the duo Mad Child and Prevail. They have been called "two of the most innovative people in hip-hop".[1]
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This trawl through the vaults of the Vancouver-based hip-hop collective Swollen Members is unusual for a collection of B-sides and leftovers -- in that it ends up being more forward- than backward-looking. That's because the underground stalwarts -- Mad Child and Prevail, plus recent addition Moka Only -- decided to record a few new songs to fill out the disc, which ends up pointing the way to possible commercial successes previously undreamed of. "Breath," with its hook from Nelly Furtado and a juicy R&B foundation, could slot comfortably between the latest Murder Inc. and P. Diddy hits on a mix tape, while the manic "Battle Axe Exclusive" rages along in true Eminem fashion. Such moments won't necessarily be a pleasant surprise for the Members' devoted fanbase, but the remainder of Monsters in the Closet provides a generous helping of the less-conventional musical ambition that has won the group comparisons to Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, and other old-school revivalists. There's one true gem -- "Long Way Down," a sensitive love song that samples Sarah McLachlan's "Ice Cream" -- and many outtakes of better-than-average quality; though they aren't all monsters, they certainly deserve to come out of hiding. ~ Dan LeRoy, All Music Guide
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Romancing the elements of nature, the witching-hour lyricism of the Swollen Members (Madchild and Previal) delves deeply into topics that have yet to be captured or pontificated on wax. SM are shaman-like oddities in this game, and judging from their topic matter alone, they would seem to fit in more at a Renaissance festival than in hip-hop's machismo-filled atmosphere. Prevail and Madchild divulge their cloak-and-dagger lyrics in a highly animated manner, and their chemistry is very developed for a group embarking on their freshman effort. Western guitar riffs and staccato high hats augment the duo's mental gymnastics on "Out of Range," and the Alchemist leads a one-man symphony on the possessed "Horrified Nights." Swollen Members enlist a stellar supporting cast throughout, with Dilated Peoples ("Counterparts"), Evidence ("Bottle Rocket"), Everlast, Divine Styler, and Del's Hieroglyphics ambiance, prevalent on "Left Field" with Unicorn. The witchdoctors of hip-hop are definitely at the forefront of developing a new style, and after listening to the Swollen Member's debut, your view of hip-hop may never be the same. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide
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With the release of their sophomore album Bad Dreams in 2001, Swollen Members saw their music embraced by a widespread audience in Canada. Commercial radio and video airplay fuelled Swollen mania, and accolades and awards piled up, including the Vancouver British Columbia crew winning Juno Awards (Canadian version of a Grammy) three years in a row. Bad Dreams was certified platinum in Canada, Balance went gold, and their third album Monsters in the Closet has ... nearly reached platinum status. Producer Rob The Vikings contributions led to him being made an official member as Swollen Members became the best selling hip hop group in Canadian history. Though they spent several years promoting and touring almost exclusively in Canada, with no international promotion their records have sold nearly 500,000 copies worldwide, still through the ever-independent Battle Axe.
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On their fourth full-length, Vancouver-based Swollen Members return some to the harder-edged, melodic, intelligent hip-hop they've made their name with (thanks in some part to the appearance of Moka Only on two tracks). As always, the group has managed to collect a pretty impressive selection of guests, including Evidence from the Dilated Peoples, Ghostface Killah, Everlast, and Casual, among others, all of whom sound good and add verses that fit well with Swollen Members'. Black Magic isn't quite as strong as the group's first two albums, but it's a step forward, aggressive and confident, with consistently strong production, and should please fans as well as listeners just looking for new music. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
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Swollen Members have put in work. Mad Child began building a name for himself as a solo artist while living in San Francisco, and upon returning to his hometown of Vancouver, met Prevail, another MC who was rapidly making a reputation for himself in the west coast underground alongside his then rap partner, Moka Only. They saw each other's abilities, heard opportunity knocking and joined forces. Shortly after that point, Moka decided he wanted to go it alone and pursue his music as a solo artist. In 1996 Mad Child and Prev traveled to the B-Boy Summit in San Diego, where Mad Child battled and was initiated into the legendary Rock Steady Crew, hip hop's highest respected collective, making Swollen Members one of only three Rock Steady affiliated rap groups.
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