For this album
Swollen Members are:
Mad Child- MC
Prevail- MC
Moka Only- MC/Vocals
Rob the Viking- DJ
I’m just going to get right to it.
The
Intro is just Prevail thanking all of his fans for supporting the group. The album starts with a nice party jam. The only difference between this and other party jams is the dark lyrics. Not necessarily depressing but dark nonetheless:
“Now that’s terror you should call me the crypt keeper
Smokin' green reefer with the grim reaper
I’m the kind of rapper you should keep in your household
Turn up the heat because everything in my mouth cold
I’m a ball of ice and rock
Hurling words at a speed that’s unorthodox
Clashing worlds, Pandora’s Box
Burning herb, twenty past four o’clock
When my cell mates loose all hell breaks loose”
There is a lot of unintentional irony on the CD because Mad Child and Prevail try to be “hard” when really they are nerds, plain and simple. Prevail has a tattoo of the Spiderman logo on his arm, enough said. The nerdiness can be heard throughout the album because they are constantly making Marvel Comic references. The second song,
Watch This, talks about how Swollen Members came up. It has the cliché, “we’re the best” mentality that all rappers have, but it works. I certainly do not want to hear any artist who is not confident in his/her ability. There are times when the songs get inspirational with lines such as:
“Got a need to be stable and make profit
Net cash, and flip it, and triple it, watch this
Plus, what good is the dough if you can’t blow it
What good is the goal if you stay below it
Fools talk it when they ain't got it
Come out your wallet if you really ballin’
If you about it then you won’t be stallin’”
The next song,
Bottom Line, is also pretty cliché. It uses the “don’t mess with us” vibe. At this point the nerdiness begins to take over when Mad Child starts rapping about Donkey Kong and Pacman. I may call songs on this album cliché but that does not mean that the songs are in any way bad. At this point almost every topic you can think of is a cliché. The beat on
Bottom Line is heavy and is perfect for blasting when you’re driving on a summer day. Prevail has a great flow and Mad Child is a unique artist. Mad Child often gets criticized for not always rapping on beat, but that’s his style. And I must say that it works for him and because he makes it work it’s a breath of fresh air.
Burn It Down is another great song that showcases some of the darkness that Prevail is so great at bringing out of himself:
“Battered I'm tattooed
Voice deeper than Abru
When I'm in a bad mood
This is my neighborhood
A place where you never could
Get over it’s over for you
You'd run if you knew what was good
For your health
I ain't huntin' for no one else
And there's no one else here
So you can quit yellin’ for help
Its like the house of 1000 corpses
For some its hideous
To me its gorgeous”
The next song,
Remember The Name, is very chill. The song starts with the sound of water dripping which eventually transforms into wood blocks. The wood blocks add the mellow feel. Also, Evidence from
Dilated Peoples makes a cameo on this track. The next track,
Therapy, is where Mad Child attacks his critics. In the song Mad Child talks about how he runs his own label and that he owns all of the rights to his songs. Moka Only talks about how much patience it took to get where they are now and they don’t plan on going anywhere but foreword. It’s actually very inspirational.
Don’t Know Why is a song where the three MCs talk about their character flaws and how we all make mistakes because no one is one dimensional. A very intelligent track and definitely a high light of the CD. The majority of the CD is Swollen Members talking about their history and how much work they put in to get where they are, that is until we get to
Paranoia. My favorite track on the entire CD. The title of the song is exactly what the song is about. The first verse describes the mood of the song well enough:
“Sometimes I stare at the wall when I'm alone in my room
I'm an abusive reclusive like Dr. Doom
Parts of darkness descend and consume me
You won't believe the gloomy thoughts that run through me
I'm proof playing heads if you spend the night
You leave the next day like 'I don't think his head's on right'
I try to talk to myself but I don't listen
I've got split personalities in competition
And which one's the man, that I...I've got issues
I could be standing in front of your face and I'm not with you
Schizophrenia, Shayne's brains distorted
Sorta compulsive, obsessive, disorder
Mathematical pattern addict with defect mind
Before I go to bed I hit the light switch seven times
Yes it's on, never mind, put the knife back
Mad Child I'm out of my mind, but I'll be right back”
After that song
All Night is a great change of pace. Very fun party song with more Marvel references from Prevail. The next song,
Heat, has a great beat. The intro is one of the greatest things I have ever heard.
Ambush is another great song with a fantastic beat. In this song Swollen Members talk about how they aren’t going anywhere but up. You can feel the determination in their words. These guys are definitely driven. 7 minutes into the last song we are treated to a hidden track called
Sensational Breed. This track is where Moka Only gets a chance to shine. The chorus will get you pumped for anything and Moka’s verse is very strong. The only reason I’m not giving this CD a 5 is the skits. Hidden throughout the CD are skits of Swollen Members prank calling a pizza place. The first time I heard these skits I laughed, but after a very short while the skits get annoying and take away from the high energy that this CD has.
All in all, if you are a fan of underground hip-hop I highly recommend this group. They have a lot of energy and the lyrics are quality. If you want something darker I suggest you pick up Bad Dreams or Balance before you get Heavy, but Heavy is a definite must own CD.
Overall:
4.5/5
Recommended Tracks:
Bottom Line
Don’t Know Why
Paranoia
Heat
Ambush
