Monsters in the Closet is a compilation album by Canadian hip-hop group Swollen Members, released on November 12, 2002, by Battle Axe Records. It is a collection of B-sides, unreleased tracks and three newly produced songs.
The album brought group membership for Moka Only and Rob the Viking and debuted at number 7 on the Canadian Albums Chart. Two of the new songs, "Breath" (featuring Nelly Furtado) and "Steppin' Thru", reached number one on the MuchMusic Top 30 Countdown. The single "Bring It Home" (which was a bonus track on Swollen Members previous album Bad Dreams) also topped the MuchMusic Countdown and peaked at number three on the Canadian singles chart.
In 2002 Monsters in the Closet was the 12th best-selling rap album in Canada, and the second best-selling rap album in Canada by a Canadian artist (behind their own album Bad Dreams). The album was certified gold by the CRIA with sales of over 70,000 copies across Canada, and won Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2003. The music video for "Breath", directed by Todd McFarlane, won Best Rap Video at the 2003 MuchMusic Video Awards. At the 2003 Western Canadian Music Awards, "Breath" won Video of the Year and the album won in the Outstanding Rap/Hip-Hop Recording category.
Critical reception
Dan LeRoy of AllMusic said the newly recorded tracks "won't necessarily be a pleasant surprise for the Members' devoted fanbase", but stated "the remainder of the album provides a generous helping of the less-conventional musical ambition" that the group was known for. He named "Long Way Down" a standout track.
Hiphop in je smoel stated "The 'new' sound will not appeal to all old listeners but there is enough Swollen as usual to make everyone happy."
Impact Press said "Core fans will be delighted with the inclusion of tracks like "Breath," "Battle Axe Exclusive," "Crunch" and "New Details."
Rahul Gupta of Now called the album "competent if unspectacular", praising the tracks "Breath" and "Long Way Down".
Andrew Jones of XLR8R claimed "Retrospective albums are usually wildly uneven, but these songs just move." He said the tracks "Breath" and "English Breakfast" were "refreshing breaks" from the group's other material.XLR8R review
Track listing
Personnel Kiley "Prevail" Hendriks – vocals (tracks: 2–7, 9-20) Shane "Madchild" Bunting – vocals (tracks: 2–7, 9-17, 19, 20) Daniel "Moka Only" Denton – vocals (tracks: 2–4, 8, 9, 16), producer (track 8) Robin "Rob The Viking" Hooper – producer (tracks: 1, 3, 9, 12, 13, 15, 19) Cristian "DJ Kemo" Bahamonde – producer (track 2) Nelly Furtado – vocals (track 3) Karl "Saukrates" Wailoo – vocals, producer (track 4) "DJ Zodak" – producer (tracks: 5, 10), scratches (track 5) Rashaan "Buc Fifty" Jackson – vocals (track 6) Michael "Evidence" Perretta – producer (track 6) Kurt "DJ Revolution" Hoffman – scratches (track 6, 12) "DJ Vadim" Peare – producer, scratches (track 7) Joey Chavez – producer (track 11, 14, 17) Jason "J Rocc" Jackson – scratches (track 11) Richard Toby Peter – bass (track 13) Finn Mannichi – cello (track 13) Tony Bernal – viola, violin (track 13) Mark Ferris – violin (track 13) Chris Guy – producer (track 13) Roger Swan – producer (tracks: 13, 18, 19) Paul "Paul Nice" Kilianski – producer (track 16) Rakaa "Iriscience" Taylor – vocals (track 17) Chris "DJ Babu" Oroc – scratches (track 17, 20) "DJ Science" – producer (track 19) Mark "Mark B" Barnes – producer (track 20)
Charts Chart (2002) Peakposition Canadian Albums (Jam!)7 Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for Monsters in the Closet by Swollen Members Chart (2002) PositionCanadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) 132Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)25Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)12
References
External links