Pamela Jayne from Culture Magazine recently had the chance to catch up with Madchild. In this interview Madchild discusses his career high and low points, SuperBeast, medical cannabis, and more.

You can check out the full interview below.

From Culture Magazine:

For someone who proudly proclaims not wanting to “Act My Age” on track 10 of his chart-topping record Switched On, Madchild certainly offered up a lot of wisdom as he chatted with CULTURE about life and the music business. Don’t let the hard machismo appearance fool you; this MC is introspective, kind-hearted, and yeah . . . a lyrical badass. From the early glory days of Canadian hip-hop group Swollen Members, to the dark days of severe opiate addiction, and now onto the present day of sold out tours, chart topping solo albums and new accolades, leading into a beyond bright future, Madchild is a solid artist, a solid man and a musical force to be reckoned with.

I’m sure in all of your travels you’ve encountered people with preconceived notions. Being heavily tattooed, they probably wouldn’t expect you to be the one opening the door for an old lady.

That’s right. I mean I walk into a gas station here in the Deep South, and they look at me like I’m crazy, but then as soon as I talk, you can see this sigh of relief come across them. They see that I’m a nice person. I’m polite. I’m a gentleman.

You’ve had many ups and downs in life, but what was your highest career point? What was your lowest?

Well, my high point was definitely with Swollen Members from 2002 to 2006, we were sort of an anomaly in Canada, we were very mainstream, going platinum over and over again, playing festivals all the time, so that was an incredible experience.

Because of that success, let’s just say I chose the wrong lifestyle and got too involved in partying, and that was my biggest downfall.

Switched On has been a huge success, and you have another new release, “SuperBeast” coming up, correct?

That’s right, yeah. I have a new record that just came out, it’s the number-one rap album in Canada and it’s the number-18 rap album in America, called Switched On, so I’m out promoting that right now. I’m super happy with how it’s doing.

So would you say that you are living in the moment, or are you already on to the next chapter?

Both. I think one of the things I learned from being so lucky to have a second chance at life, and a second chance at a career, was to stop and smell the roses. I really am truly happy for the first time in my life. So yes, on one hand I’m very excited about where I’m going and how things are escalating as I’m pushing this boulder up the hill and getting to that next level, but I’m also enjoying the experience, I’m enjoying the journey of life.

You are currently out on the road on the Shockfest tour with Insane Clown Posse. Give us a little insight to what the tour life is like.

This is a great tour. I’m getting in front of a lot of new fans, and I’m super surprised by how many people already know who I am. They’ve really embraced me. I guess it’s from playing at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

And tour life is just part of today’s music business. If you want to be an artist and you don’t like touring, you better go do something else. If you don’t love touring, you’re gonna hate life. I choose to love it, you know what I mean? I get to go out and perform every night in front of people who are embracing what I do, in a very saturated world where a lot of people are trying to be artists. So I consider myself very fortunate. I look at each show and each interview as an opportunity.

What are your thoughts on medical cannabis, as well as legalization? Did your past struggle with addiction shape your views?

Well, that’s a good question. I think marijuana is great for people it helps, and I think that if it’s calming and therapeutic and healthy for you, that is great. I can see the absolute good in it.

You are such an open book, more so than most other artists. Is there a downside to that?

The only downside is that I am constantly reflecting and reminding myself of what happened, so maybe at this point I should be leaving that stuff completely behind. But I also think it’s a good thing; so I make sure to stay on the right path. I still think about the past a little too much because I’m constantly talking about it. But it’s a responsibility, right? Every show, people come up and say how my experience got them off drugs, or on a better path. So that is the most important thing out of it all.

Websites:

• battleaxewarriors.com