Enigmatic Shane Bunting, more famously known as Madchild of Swollen Members, has returned from the brink of oblivion after a long battle with drugs.
Addicted to oxycontin (synthetic heroin), Madchild almost lost his life during an overdose a year ago in which his left arm went numb, his lips turned purple and paramedics raced against the clock to keep him alive.
The hip-hop star had spent nearly $3 million on prescription pills, devastating everything he had worked hard to build during his career.
It was after he hit rock bottom that he rediscovered his music. Clean from drugs for the first time in his adult life, Madchild spent the next 10 months writing and recording his first solo album Dope Sick, chronicling his battle with drug abuse.
But Dope Sick isn’t just a cautionary tale about drugs; Madchild has used his own demons to elevate his music to a new level. To that end, he’s gone into the trenches of hiphop and competed in rap battles against other emcees.
“For the last eight months, my main focus has been to become the best emcee I can be. Battling truly exemplifies the spirit of hip-hop just like beatboxing, DJing or graffiti art.”
Madchild competed in the KOTD World Domination Rap Battle on Aug. 5 at XS Nightclub in Toronto, defeating Dirtbag Dan to complete his musical comeback.
“I can’t think of a better way to challenge myself than to step into today’s battle arena and compete against some of the best talent from all over the world,” he said.
Aside from Dope Sick, Swollen Members released Monsters II on Aug. 2, the sequel to the classic album Monsters In The Closet from 2002.
Madchild will perform Sept. 22 at the River City Pub in Revelstoke. Vancouver-based hip-hop artist Snak the Ripper opens the show, scheduled to start at 9 p.m.
~Black Press
