In 1996, Mad Child and Prevail went to the B-Boy Summit in San Diego, California, where Mad Child won several rap battles and was initiated into the Rock Steady Crew, legendary to the hip hop/b-boy scene. The Crew is held in great respect as hip hop's highest collective - to join one must win a contest of skill against one of the highest ranked members. Swollen Members is one of only three rap groups affiliated with Rock Steady.
That same year, the duo began recording their first tracks, with help from many of their friends from the scene - MCs, DJs, and producers, including Rob the Viking. Rob would continue to work with the group through the years, eventually joining them later. From the praise they were receiving, they decided it was time to release their material as a group. With the subsequent release of three 12" singles on Mad Child's record label Battleaxe Records, the group quickly established themselves in the scene and built a respectable following. The next logical step was to release an album, which was titled Balance and released in 1999.
Balance received wide critical acclaim and has been claimed by the band to have sold in excess of 50,000 copies. Featuring collaborations with artists such as Everlast, Divine Styler, and Dilated Peoples, the album also netted Swollen Members the 2001 Juno Award for Best Rap Recording.
Following Balance, Swollen Members recorded and released Bad Dreams, which successfully dodged the so-called "sophomore curse" many artists suffer upon their second release. Bad Dreams was released on November 13, 2001, featuring guests such as Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Son Doobie, Joey Chavez, and former member Moka Only. Like their debut, Bad Dreams was surprisingly successful for an independent rap album and brought Swollen Members global acclaim. Surprisingly, it appealed to both underground and mainstream audiences, with several singles reaching platinum status in Canada.
The album also earned Swollen Members their second Juno Award, and four MuchMusic Video Awards. The group continues to tour, visiting every major market possible and performing hundreds of shows a year; some with nearly 15,000 audience members. The media continues to give their music and live shows excellent coverage around the globe, and both new and old singles receive solid airplay on college and commercial radio. Their tracks have also been featured in a multitude of films, television programs, extreme sports videos, commercials, video games (especially games produced by Electronic Arts, which has a studio in their hometown of Vancouver), and compilation albums, the sales of which total in the millions when combined.
Swollen Members have appeared on numerous television shows, in addition to having several of their live shows televised. Like their singles, their music videos have been heavily played on both the Canadian MuchMusic and the American MTV, as well as on many independent video shows.
2002's Monsters in the Closet, their third release, brought them greater fame than ever before. Where Moka Only and Rob the Viking had only peripherally assisted the duo before, they now became official members of the group. Monsters included several unreleased tracks and remixes, as well as collaborations from fellow British Columbian Nelly Furtado and Saukrates of Def Jam. Production credits included Evidence from Dilated Peoples.
2003 brought Heavy, released yet again to critical acclaim and powerful sales, despite dismal video play time on MuchMusic. The band considers it the bridge between their underground origins and their potential for fame. Unfortunately the album was controversial among Swollen Members' fanbase. Many fans claim that Swollen Members have removed many elements of their style which had awarded them in the past. The lines were drawn between fans who began to listen to Swollen Members when Monsters in the Closet came out and fans attracted by the earlier two albums (especially Balance). They continue to tour, playing both local and international shows to the delight of their hometown fans.
In 2005 Moka Only decided to break off from the group for a second time and continue work on his solo career.
In 2006 Swollen Members released their fifth full album, Black Magic. It is understood that Mad Child and Prevail made an attempt to return to their previously critically acclaimed style and method. Their previous album Heavy was seen by the band as a disappointment, and isn't listed on their official site discography.
In August 2006, Swollen Members released their new single "Put Me On - Feat. Everlast" off of their new album, "Black Magic".
Their next CD is scheduled to be released at the end of the summer of 2008. According to the band's website, Mad Child will soon release a solo album.
Dynamite
Swollen Members Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Amsterdam Flame, NYC Diesel, Kali Kush to the Brain. So many strains in my life so Chill, take a bong load listen to some cypress hill. My mind is filled, head space stays creative, music plays in my skull til i recreate it.
Madchild-Dont Make me angry, my skin goes green, BLAM! throw man through a window screen. Love me or hate me no in between all my friends grow indo in B.C. Get so high, just can't take it, walk through my house with a sharp knife naked, i'm paranoid and i can't stop shakin' now it's all good though, i smoke jamaican
Prevail-No stems and seeds, sticky and fruity, some are blonde and others ruby red headed beauties. Dubies and blunts, the pipe, the vaporizer, 25 and 8th from my favorite supplier. I'm higher than Hendrix when he made Purple Haze, I'm amazed...as long as i got herb to blaze i'm in a good mood attitude extremely positive, it's like i'm in a dream and the greens the cause of it
Madchild-It gets intense, stick of incense, roll that/hit that shit to get bent. Smoke and I feel like i leap through time, speak to my mind I creep through the vine. Sometimes I might have a tough time breathin' think my hearts gonna stop for no reason. I just try to sit back relax and zone out, bring bad energy my way ya get thrown out.
The lyrics to Swollen Members' song Dynamite are a celebration of marijuana and its effects. The first verse, delivered by Prevail, focuses on the different strains of weed that he has experienced in his life. He mentions some well-known strains like NYC Diesel and Kali Kush, and expresses his love for Cypress Hill and its music. Prevail seems to suggest that marijuana enhances his creativity and fills his head with music that he uses to make his own art.
The second verse, performed by Madchild, takes a darker turn. He becomes aggressive and paranoid, suggesting that his excessive use of marijuana has negative effects on him. Madchild mentions the "green" making his skin turn "green," like the Hulk, and speaks about being naked with a knife, indicating a lack of control. Even though he says smoking Jamaican weed helps him feel better, the overall tone is introspective and troubled.
Overall, Dynamite seems to portray the two sides of marijuana use, the good and the bad. While Prevail seems to be a big fan of weed and its ability to enhance his mood and creativity, Madchild hints at the darker side of marijuana use, like losing control and feeling paranoid.
Line by Line Meaning
Prevail-Reefer Madness, Kief and Black Hash, a little bit of oil on the paper I like Dat, come on man light that,
I love to smoke weed and all its different varieties, especially when mixed with oil. So, please light it up.
The Amsterdam Flame, NYC Diesel, Kali Kush to the Brain. So many strains in my life so Chill, take a bong load listen to some cypress hill.
I've tried so many strains of weed, they all have different effects. Let's just relax, smoke a bong, and listen to some music.
My mind is filled, head space stays creative, music plays in my skull til i recreate it.
Smoking weed keeps my mind active and my creativity flowing. Even after the music stops, it still lives on in my mind.
Madchild-Dont Make me angry, my skin goes green, BLAM! throw man through a window screen.
If you make me angry, I might turn into the Hulk and throw you through a window.
Love me or hate me no in between all my friends grow indo in B.C.
My friends either love or hate me, but we all grow marijuana in British Columbia.
Get so high, just can't take it, walk through my house with a sharp knife naked, i'm paranoid and i can't stop shakin' now it's all good though, i smoke jamaican
Sometimes I get so high I become paranoid and start shaking. But, it's okay because I smoke a lot of Jamaican weed.
Prevail-No stems and seeds, sticky and fruity, some are blonde and others ruby red headed beauties. Dubies and blunts, the pipe, the vaporizer, 25 and 8th from my favorite supplier.
I only smoke the best weed with no stems or seeds. I have a variety of ways to smoke it and I always get it from my favorite dealer.
I'm higher than Hendrix when he made Purple Haze, I'm amazed...as long as i got herb to blaze i'm in a good mood attitude extremely positive, it's like i'm in a dream and the greens the cause of it
When I smoke, I get really high and feel amazing. As long as I have weed to smoke, my mood is positive and I feel like I'm in a dream.
Madchild-It gets intense, stick of incense, roll that/hit that shit to get bent. Smoke and I feel like i leap through time, speak to my mind I creep through the vine.
Smoking weed can be intense, but it helps me release my mind and jump through time. It's like I'm exploring my mind in a deep, mystical way.
Sometimes I might have a tough time breathin' think my hearts gonna stop for no reason. I just try to sit back relax and zone out, bring bad energy my way ya get thrown out.
Sometimes weed makes it hard for me to breathe and I feel like my heart is stopping, but I just try to relax and ignore bad energy because it brings me down.
Contributed by Claire E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.