Heavy is the fourth studio album by Canadian hip hop group Swollen Members. It was released on November 18, 2003 through Battle Axe Records. Recording sessions took place at Battleaxe Studios in Vancouver, Evidence's Studio and Soundcastle in California. Production was handled by Rob the Viking, Nucleus, Evidence, Moka Only and The Edgecrusher. It features guest appearances from Abstract Rude and Son Doobie. An accompanying music video was directed for the single "Watch This".[3]
| Heavy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canadian Release Cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 18, 2003 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Canadian hip hop | |||
| Length | 57:35 | |||
| Label | Battle Axe | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Swollen Members chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative Cover | ||||
 American Release Cover | ||||
| Singles from Heavy | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| RapReviews | 8.5/10[2] |
The album debuted at number 14 on the Canadian Albums Chart for the week ending on October 26, 2003. At the 2004 Western Canadian Music Awards, the album won in the 'Outstanding Rap/Hip-Hop Recording' category.[4]
Many regard it as their most mainstream-sounding release to date, and a strong negative reaction to direction the album took from the group's core fan base resulted in them discontinuing shipments of the album after its initial release. The album artwork was drawn by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, who had directed one of their music videos. The song "All Night" was featured in the 2003 video game SSX 3.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Rob the Viking | 0:21 | |
| 2. | "Block Party" |
| Nucleus | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Watch This" |
| Rob the Viking | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Bottom Line" |
| Rob the Viking | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Burn It Down" |
| Nucleus | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Remember the Name" |
| Evidence | 5:07 |
| 7. | "Therapy" |
| Rob the Viking | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Concentrate" |
| Nucleus | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Adrenaline" |
| Nucleus | 4:06 |
| 10. | "Don't Know Why" (featuring Abstract Rude) |
|
| 4:04 |
| 11. | "Paranoia" |
| Rob the Viking | 4:01 |
| 12. | "All Night" |
| The Edgecrusher | 3:24 |
| 13. | "Heat" |
| Evidence | 4:19 |
| 14. | "Ambush/Sensational Breed" (featuring Son Doobie) |
| Rob the Viking | 10:31 |
| Total length: | 57:35 | |||
- Notes
- Track 14 consists of the songs "Ambush", a hidden prank call and followed by the hidden track "Sensational Breed". "Ambush" ends at minute 3:20. After 55 seconds of silence, at minute 4:15 begins a hidden phone call entitled "Pizza Place Prank Call Interlude". This phone call ends at minute 7:08, then begins a second hidden track, "Sensational Breed" featuring Son Doobie.
Personnel
edit- Kiley "Prevail" Hendriks – vocals
- Daniel "Moka Only" Denton – vocals (tracks: 2-14), producer (track 10)
- Shane "Madchild" Bunting – vocals (tracks: 2-14), executive producer
- Robin "Rob The Viking" Hooper – percussion (tracks: 2, 9), organ & additional guitar (track 2), additional percussion (track 8), strings & Rhodes electric piano (track 9), producer (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 14), recording (tracks: 3-5, 7-11, 14)
- Michael "Evidence" Perretta – additional vocals (tracks: 2, 4, 6), handclaps (track 2), producer & recording (tracks: 6, 13)
- Gillian Damborg – additional vocals (track 3)
- Fiona Scott – additional vocals (track 3)
- Aaron "Abstract Rude" Pointer – additional vocals (track 10)
- Jason "Son Doobie" Vasquez – additional vocals (track 14)
- Kurt "DJ Revolution" Hoffman – scratches (track 7)
- West "Nucleus" Plischke – producer & recording (tracks: 2, 5, 8, 9), executive producer
- Christian Olde Wolbers – producer (track 12)
- Richard "Segal" Huredia – recording (track 12), mixing (tracks: 12, 13)
- Roger Swan – mixing (tracks: 2-11, 14)
- Kristina Ardron – mixing assistant (tracks: 2-11, 14)
- Todd McFarlane – cover illustration
Charts
edit| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Jam!)[5] | 14 |
References
edit- ^ "Heavy - Swollen Members | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (January 13, 2004). "Swollen Members :: Heavy – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ "Swollen Members - Watch This (Official Video from Heavy)". YouTube. June 30, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ "2004 Western Canadian Music Award Winners". BreakOut West. 2004. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ "ALBUMS : Top 100". Jam!. Canoe.com. October 30, 2003. Archived from the original on 2004-12-10. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
External links
edit- Swollen Members – Heavy at Discogs (list of releases)