Mad Child-Shane Bunting

Prevail-Kylie Hendricks

Mad Child and Prevail have been causing tremors in hiphop's underground, since 1996. Mad Child began building a name for himself as a solo artist while living in San Francisco, where he was homeless. Sleeping on pizza boxes isn't the ideal way to start a career in hip hop, but that's exactly what he did. He managed to get a job working at the Bomb Hip Hop Shop, and in time was allowed to sleep on the floor there. As time went on he got a job working at the Extra Large Store as well as deliverying pizza after hours for less than minimum wage. But, by this time, Mad Child was getting his name out and was gaining recognition within the Bay Area hip hop community. Staying in touch with people from the Bomb Hip Hop Shop, he was able to appear on the first Bomb compilation alongside Dj Q-bert on the track "Pregnant". Soon after, Mad Child released a 7" single independantly that featured pro-skater Tommy Guarraro on production. As a result of that, Mad Child was able to create a buzz in the area underground which allowed him the opportunity to meet Del The Funky Homosapian from the Hieroglyphics. Showing interest in Mad Child's projects, Del offered to work together in the future. Then, on what was to be a short vacation home to Vancouver, Mad Child met Prevail, another MC who was rapidly making a reputation for himself in the west coast underground alongside his then rap partner, Moka Only. Prevail was an emcee with a wealth of knowledge and the ability to deliver some of the deadliest freestyles at any given time. They saw each other's abilities, heard opportunity knocking and joined forces. After a few drinks and some late night food at Denny's, the name Swollen Members was born. Shortly after that point, Moka decided he wanted to go it alone and pursue his music as a solo artist. Later in 1996, Mad Child and Prevail 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.( The other 2 being Dilated Peoples and The Arsonists)

             That year Swollen Members began recording their first tracks as a group along with DJ Babu and DJ Rhettmatic (of the beatjunkies) on production and cuts. This soon led up to Mad Child taking Del up on the offer he had made him, just months before. They had also met up with Dilated Peoples at the B-boy summit and started collaberating with them as well as Evidence helping them out on production. They also collaborated with other talented MCs, DJs, and producers who they had linked up and built friendships with. They received praise for the quality of the tracks they created, and it became clear that it was time to start releasing material as a group. With the release of three 12" singles on Mad Child's own independent record label Battleaxe Records, Swollen Members quickly established themselves with hip hop fans and built an underground following. These singles laid the foundation for the next step, the release of Swollen Members' debut album, Balance, in 1999. The album received a great deal of critical acclaim, has independently sold in excess of 50,000 copies worldwide to date, and continues to gain new fans. The album also netted Swollen Members the 2001 Juno Award for Best Rap Recording.

              Following the success of Balance, Swollen Members' second album, Bad Dreams, showcased their advancement and maturity. Guests and collaborators on the album included Moka Only, Rob the Viking, Chali Tuna (Jurassic 5), Son Doobie (Funkdoobiest), Joey Chavez and Dilated Peoples. With extraordinary success for a Canadian rap album, Bad Dreams won Swollen Members recognition and acclaim across the country, not just from the underground, but also from the mainstream. The platinum-selling album spawned three hit singles: "Fuel Injected", "Bring it Home" and "Take it Back", and saw Swollen Members win another Juno and four MuchMusic Video Awards.

              Since the release of their first album, Swollen Members have toured constantly, hitting every major market in the world, performing hundreds of shows a year in front of audiences of up to 15,000 people. Publications around the world have given Swollen Members' music and live shows excellent coverage, and their tracks receive strong airplay on both commercial and college radio. Their music has also been featured in a large number of movies, television shows, extreme sports videos, commercials, video games, and compilations, selling millions of copies combined. Swollen Members have appeared on television shows, and have also had several of their live performances televised. Their music videos have received heavy rotation on MuchMusic, MTV Canada, and independent video shows around the world.

              Swollen Members' 2002 album, Monsters in the Closet, which has already gone gold in Canada, is set to take them to an even higher level. The album includes banging new singles, unreleased tracks and remixes, taking the raw, heavy substance of Balance and combining it with the polished maturity of Bad Dreams. Moka Only has reunited with group, and DJ/ producer Rob the Viking has also been made an official member, while guests include multi-platinum selling artist (and long-time friend) Nelly Furtado, Def Jam recording artist Saukrates, plus production from Evidence (Dilated Peoples), Saukrates, Kemo and others. Known for their live shows, Swollen Members will be touring North America extensively in support of Monsters in the Closet, and the first single from the album, "Steppin Thru" is already achieving considerable airplay. As with all of their releases, you can expect nothing but the finest from this newest Swollen Members offering.

              With Madchild's dark, ominous vibes coupled with Prevail's lofty, intellectual flow, Moka's smooth, jazzy voice and Rob's incredible production talent, they have forged an impenetrable bond based on conscious rhymes and solid production tact. Their chemistry is evident onstage and off; they feed off each other like cannibal alligators trapped in a pit of fire and brimstone.