Swollen Members

The formation of this accomplished Canadian ensemble originated in an encounter between two West Coast rappers. In 1996 Mad Child, then performing solo in San Francisco, returned to his native Vancouver and met Prevail, whose dynamic stage presence and technical skills had already begun attracting notice. The pair united and journeyed to San Diego for the annual B-Boy Summit, an event that resulted in their induction into the Rock Steady Crew—one of only three acts ever granted that honor. Three independent singles followed before the group issued its debut album, Balance, on Battle Axe Records in 1999. A worldwide tour and hundreds of concerts came next. Bad Dreams, the second album, appeared in 2001, the same year the band received a Juno Award for Best Rap Recording for Balance. A second Juno Award for Best Rap Recording arrived in 2002 after a collaboration with Nelly Furtado. Monsters in the Closet followed in 2003 and Heavy in 2004. Their recordings have appeared on film soundtracks, video games, and other platforms, while additional partnerships have included members of the Beat Junkies and Jurassic 5.