Swollen Members Biography

The meeting of two West Coast rappers fuelled this talented Canadian band. In 1996, Mad Child was a solo artist performing in San Francisco when he returned to his hometown of Vancouver. There he met Prevail, who was gaining attention for his energetic live shows and abilities. The two joined forces and headed to San Diego to perform at the annual B-Boy Summit. The group was initiated into the Rock Steady Crew, one of only three bands to do so. Following this, the group released three independent singles before releasing Balance, their debut effort in 1999 on Battle Axe Records. A world tour and hundreds of performances followed. In 2001, the band released its second album, Bad Dreams. The same year they received a Juno Award for Best Rap Recording for Balance. In 2002, the band performed with Nelly Furtado and won a second Juno Award for Best Rap Recording. Monsters in the Closet followed in 2003, and Heavy appeared in 2004. Their music has been featured on soundtracks, computer games, and other outlets. They've also worked with members of the Beat Junkies and Jurassic 5, among others. ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide