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Swollen Members (Prevail)
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Hip-Hop/ Rap/ Indie
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January 2010
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swollenmembers.com
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myspace.com/swollenmembers...
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tinyurl.com/kqzvjc
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Thomas Quinlan
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Swollen Members sure have travelled a long and weird road in the decade since they debuted their novel combination of underground hip hop aesthetics with dark Dungeons & Dragons imagery and comic book references as demon-strated on their early 12-inches of the mid-90s. After a couple of albums where they represented the four elements of hip hop with members that included b-boys and graffiti artists, the core duo of Prevail and Mad Child officially expanded in 2002 to include frequent production collaborator Rob the Viking and rapper-singer Moka Only, the latter a founding member of the group and the one who came up with the name, although Moka soon went solo once again. Still, with Moka supplying the hooks and Rob offering up shinier, more commercial beats, and a whole lot of touring across Canada and the U.S. that continued to build on their young fanbase of hip hop heads and skaters, Swollen Members blew up and won a bunch of Junos. However, they’ve also hit some bumps along the way. Accusations of selling out from underground fans started it all off, but it was further exasperated by Mad Child’s friendship with the Hell’s Angels (which brought police scrutiny along with it) and a pain killer addiction that he just recently kicked. Despite it all, Swollen Members have returned reinvigorated with a new collaborating member (Tre Nyce), a new album (Armed To The Teeth) and a couple of digital-only solo EPs, and things look to be even bigger for Swollen Members for 2010. Hopefully it’s a smooth ride from here on in…
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URBNET: Prevail, both you and Madchild released solo albums in 2009. Why release them only in the digital format?
PREVAIL: The main reason for the electronic EPs was simply to allow for ease of access to the consumer, and also time. For my project, Baseball Bat And Nails, I was focused on a certain timeline; the best way to get it out and make it cost effective was through channels like I-Tunes and Amazon. It makes for a perfect way to add to the back catalogue, as well. We all plan on working on a few more solos this year too.
Rob the Viking, too? Is there a producer album planned for him?
Rob the Viking's first solo instrumental [album] was called Beats To Pillage and Conquer By, and it was amazing. We have been keeping him pretty busy making tracks for the new Swollen album due for release in 2010, but he has found some time to start working on a new solo, too, and I can't wait to hear the progression. Rob is a true musical genius.
How does the production process work for Swollen Members?
In most cases Rob brings the music first and we follow suit with the lyrics, deciding whether or not it has a topic-orientated feel or if it's just a go-off track.
What about the writing process?
The Swollen Members writing dynamic is great, too; we all collab ideas until we feel as a collective we are getting across the message we set out to make, whatever it may be.
What happened to the dark fantasy/dungeons and dragons subject matter of the older albums?
The influence of strong imagery and powerful wordplay has always resonated in both Madchild and myself as emcees. We will always have tracks like “Kyla,” “Meltdown,” “Funeral March” and “Concerto.” Those are songs where the energy and material is classic Swollen. Since our first album, Balance, we have always experimented with different tracks and tempos and subject matter. Now I feel we have found the perfect blend of past roots and present day relevance.
Was there anything different about how you approached the making of Armed To The Teeth as compared to Black Magic or any of your previous albums?
From the very outset, Madchild expressed diversity for Armed To The Teeth. He wanted to be able to break the mould that we had set for ourselves by challenging our writing techniques and thought processes. I must say, I feel that we both grew tremendously as artists and we have Tre Nyce to thank for a lot of that.
Speaking of Tre Nyce, you’ve added him to the group dynamic with the new album. Is he now a member of Swollen Members?
We couldn't be happier with the young gunner. Tre Nyce is a vicious musical beast whose talents for rapping and singing are undeniable. I consider him like a baby brother – we have forged a great friendship and his strength adds to the Battle Axe Warriors foundation and solidifies the Swollen Members heritage.
Moka Only previously handled the singing/rapping duties, but Swollen Members received a lot of shit from critics when he was part of the group. Do you think the criticism was justified? Do you ever regret bringing him back into the fold?
Moka and I have been friends since we were both young rappers, we grew up together in Victoria spitting all the time. The truth about Moka is that he is too multi-faceted to be dedicated to the working ideals of a group. If it's 7 a.m. and he wants to make a beat and write a 64 bar verse, he will. That kind of creativity needs its own environment for freedom of expression. And the truth is, our most commercially successful songs at that time were featuring Moka. We shared a great part of our career with him and those memories are irreplaceable.
How did you hook up with your new label, Suburban Noize? Any plans to collaborate with more of their artists? A track with Brother J would be awesome...
"Deep / How deep? / Deeper than Atlantis / Deeper than the seafloor traveled by the mantis."- Brother J.
I was an X-Clan fan back in the day, but always thought Brother J was the freshest of the crew. The hardest lyrics. I am open to collabs with any of the talented artists on Sub Noize. We have a great friendship with Everlast that dates back to the first Swollen album and La Coka are killing shit, it's dope! We toured with KMK [label owners Kottonmouth Kings] and have been slowly immersing ourselves in the amazingly supportive fan base of the Sub Noize Soldiers. I can't wait for them to link up with the Swollen Army, it will be epic.
So what's up with Battle Axe Records now? Is it still a label? Are you still releasing other artists?
Battleaxe is once again becoming a powerhouse in the independent label scene. By signing a rare 50/50 deal with Suburban Noize, the strength and resources are in place again for Battle Axe to do big things, and of course branding Swollen Members and Tre Nyce is an integral part of the picture.
The new album tends to get overshadowed by discussions of Mad Child's battle with drug addiction, which also figures pretty significantly on the new album. How does everyone else in the group feel about so much of the attention falling on that one subject?
One thing that has kept Swollen Members intact through all these years is our lines of communication. We always talk about the way things are going and how we are feeling individually. With Mad wanting to be open about his addiction, he had our instant support. It was important for our listeners to know why it had been so long in between records and what had been happening. This honest connection with our fans has been and always will be the most influential voice that dictates our collective actions.
I heard your tour bus got hit by a train, but luckily you weren't on it. How did you learn about the accident? What were your first thoughts?
I was at the homie’s crib and he said, "You hear about the Black Pearl?" It was originally a Tweet from Big B's DJ, Klaw, that sent the message to my circle of friends. I called Mad, Tre and Rob as soon as I heard and then called the tour manager and bus driver to check in. It was all over the news and that shit was unnerving. Timing is everything, I guess.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you to all the Swollen fans who stood by us while we crafted Armed To The Teeth. Your faith and trust will be rewarded. New music all throughout 2010 and beyond. Warriors for life.
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