They went pop!

The unfortunate, and almost inevitable, destiny for a once-underground act to gain commercial success and change their sound from hardcore to pop plagues purist hip-hop fans and artists alike.......and the Swollen Members become no exception. In their "third" album (technically their fourth, although MITC was just a 'collection' of B-sides) this time around, the now-quartet have replaced their dark, abstract lyricism for a more party-feel, upbeat sound. The problem that lies in this happens to be the change in lyrical content from pure emceeing and rhyming to simply talking about pimping, b*tches, fancy cars, and every other cliche that you get from the typical mainstream hip-hop song. While Prevail somewhat maintains his intricate wordplay, Mad Child and re-recruit Moka has dumbed-down their lyrical content drastically, and attempts to become repetitive and catchy becomes obvious.
The production here has taken a downfall as well in terms of remaining 'hardcore' and 'underground'. The beats have taken a more synthesized, pop-like feel which might please mainstream audiences, but 'real hip-hop' fans will find them boring and unattractive.
Moka Only himself has a unique croon that might be soothing at times, but his repetitiveness get tiring and the songs start to sound alike. Unfortunately, that's exactly what occurs here.
"Heavy" seems to be a collection of songs that sound the exact same. The diversity and variety that past albums like "Bad Dreams" brought is gone, and the quality of what hip-hop fans expect deteriorates. The album isn't entirely a disappointment, however. A couple of 'bangers' such as "Remember The Name" and "Sensational Breed" (hidden track) manage to please the ears. However, the rest of the album becomes forgettable; something the Swollen Members have been able to avoid in their past work.






Remember The Name