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(9 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Madchild finally releases his solo debut after years with his group Swollen Members.  Many wonder if he can recapture the success he saw with that group or if the years of drug use has ruined a once promising career.  To catch you up here is a quick rundown of his career to this point:

Madchild of Swollen Members, was on a kamikaze run with the drug oxycontin that had pushed him to the brink of oblivion. Madchild had finally hit rock bottom. His drug addiction had spiraled out of control and destroyed everything the successful emcee had worked so hard to build with is platinum selling hip-hop group Swollen Members. The fancy cars, lavish houses and rock star luxuries were all gone, as his addiction had consumed over 3 million dollars worth of assets and finances in just over four years.

Clean from drugs for the first time in his adult life, Madchild removed himself from temptation by walking away from his previous social life and bunkering down in his home studio secluded from the outside world. For the next 10 months, Madchild feverishly wrote and recorded his first ever solo album, ‘Dope Sick’.

Track listing

1. Devil’s Rejects featuring DJ Revolution produced by C-Lance
2. Grenade Launcher featuring Slaine (of La Coka Nostra) & Prevail (of Swollen Members) produced by C-Lance
3. Monster produced by C-Lance
4. Runaway produced by Rob The Viking (of Swollen Members)
5. Oxylude (Interlude) produced by Rob The Viking (of Swollen Members)
6. Wake Up produced by Rob The Viking (of Swollen Members)
7. Battleaxe featuring Dilated Peoples (Evidence + Rakaa Iriscience + Babu); Bishop Lamont; D-Sisive produced by Evidence (of Dilated Peoples)
8. Jitters featuring Dutch Robinson; Matt Brevner produced by Matt Brevner
9. Little Monster Blend produced by Aspect
10. Judgment Day featuring Sophia Danai produced by Chin
11. Dickhead produced by Rob The Viking (of Swollen Members)
12. Fuck Madchild featuring Phil The Agony (of Strong Arm Steady) produced by Aspect
13. Mongoloid produced by Aspect
14. Freak produced by C-Lance
15. Reaper produced by 2oolman
16. Wanted produced by Aspect

Track by track review and rating

1. Devil’s Rejects featuring DJ Revolution: This is a great track to start the CD off.  The beat is very well put together and the lyrics show that this album will be deeply personal.  This track is produced by C-Lance and he shows off his beat making and producing talents.  8/10
2.  Grenade Launcher featuring Slaine & Prevail: Any fan of his group Swollen Members will enjoy this track.  Slaine and Prevail add a nice change of pace lyrically.  The hook is super catchy and C-Lance once again shows why he is a major contributor to this album.  9/10
3. Monster: This track is the first to really focus on his addiction.  The music mixes a great beat with awesome brass in a way that catches your attention quickly.  Throughout the track there is an air horn which is very distracting and takes away from the track a little.  7/10
4. Runaway:  This track has a good beat but the high pitch singing takes away from the track in a big way.  This is the second track in a row that talks of his addiction and the struggles he had in overcoming it.  7/10
5. Oxylude:  Very short interlude which contained news and interview clips about oxycontin addiction.  N/A
6. Wake Up:  On this track he gives a very honest history of his addiction over an old school beat.  Rob the Viking did a great job with the beat and it is very enjoyable.  8/10
7. Battleaxe featuring Dilated Peoples:  A simple beat which once again blends in a horn section very well.  Unfortunately Dilated Peoples bring little to the track.  Their verses actually bring the track a lower rating.  6/10
8. Jitters featuring Dutch Robinson:  This track is very slow getting into the first verse, about a minute in, and once it gets there the verses are spoken words over an uninspired beat.  The hook is way too preachy and adds nothing to the track.  The end of the track is a sample of a woman cursing and ranting and it really has nothing to do with the theme of the track.  This is my least favorite track on the album.  3/10
9. Little Monster Blend:  This track seems like a schizophrenic combination of a lot of tracks.  The beat changes with each new verse.  It does however talk of his being banned from the US for his connections with the Hells Angels, which gives an interesting insight into that situation.  5/10
10. Judgment Day featuring Sophia Danai:  Overall a good track.  It has a great flow and a nice hook.  While nothing outstanding here a nice change of pace from the last two tracks.  7/10
11. Dickhead:  This track was originally released on The Madchild EP in 2009.  It is basically a tale of how much of an a-hole he is.  It is a funny track but leaves a lot to be desired lyrically.  4/10
12. Fuck Madchild featuring Phil The Agony:  A very short track over a very simple beat.  The verse by Phil the Agony does little to improve the track.  6/10
13. Mongoloid:  With no real theme and a track that sounds like it is constantly skipping this track is another let down.  The lyrics are random and have no purpose.  6/10
14. Freak:  This track is a stark contrast to the previous track.  The beat produced by C-Lance is complex and adds great depth to the lyrics and great hook.  8/10
15. Reaper:  Another short track with a very complex beat.  While it tries to stand out it blends in with the other tracks on the tail end of the CD.  6/10
16. Wanted:  This is a nice ending to a disappointing second half of the CD.  It has a good beat and the lyrics talk of hope for the future.  This track does gives promise that good things are still to come from Madchild.  8/10

Favorite Tracks:

1. Grenade Launcher
2. Wake Up
3. Freak
4. Wanted

Length:

• 56 Minutes

Record Label:

• Suburban Noize / Battle Axe Records

Release Date:

• 08/28/2012

Purchase:

• SubNoizeStore.com - $9.99
• iTunes.com - $10.99

Websites:

• SwollenMembers.com

Reviewer:

• Juggalotus