Swollen Members rapper Madchild is once again allowed to enter the United States. After three long years, the Canadian native will re-enter onto US ground tomorrow to perform at the annual Vans Warped Tour concert in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Madchild was banned from entering The United States back in 2010 when US Customs was under the impression that he was involved with the notorious biker gang, The Hells Angels.
We wanted to clear some things with up him. Check out our exclusive interview:
The Source: What is your take on the reason you were banned?
Madchild: After 10 hours of sitting in Customs and being questioned from time to
time, I got the obvious feeling that I was being flagged for past
associations. I could see they were carrying photos from the internet of
me with people I had socialized with in the past. There were other
official reasons, there was a name change that had happened when my mom
got re-married and a couple charges on my record from when I was younger
but it was very apparent to me I was being considered “guilty by
association” at that time. I wasn’t mad about the outcome, because I
knew that I had made my own bed and it was time for me to change the
sheets. I had a very bad pain killer addiction for four years and I have
been sober for now for three years. Since I have made that lifestyle
change, I made many other changes in my life as far as who I am
friends with and I feel that I am on a very positive path now. I am very
appreciative that I’ve been given a second chance.
The Source: How has being banned from the USA affected you and your career?
Madchild: It has for sure been more difficult to create my buzz but
thankfully with the internet I have still been able to do well. I think
that being able to only really focus on things from home pushed me to
really maximize the potential of starting a solo career. I recorded a
lot of EPs and shot a lot of videos to start building my brand. I was
very aggressive with touring in Canada (nearly 150 shows in a year’s
time ) and thankfully my label (Suburban Noize-Kottonmouth Kings, Potluck) and both my managers at Regime management are all from America so I was still able to get that
push and some really good looks in the States. I have over 10
million views on My YouTube page in just a year’s time so I feel pretty
good about the buzz we created as a team considering the situation. Now
that I am allowed back into the country, I am excited about the future
for sure.
The Source: What are you looking forward to most about being able to come back to
the USA?
Madchild: First thing I am looking forward to is doing the rest of the Warp
Tour and reconnecting with all my fans and family in America! On a
personal level, I am excited to see my friends and start recording in
different cities like LA, Boston and New York. I have been doing all my
writing and recording in Vancouver for a while and I am ready for some
new inspiration. I am lucky enough to be friends with some of my
favorite artists (Evidence, Alchemist, Slaine etc.) so it will be fun
to hang out and hopefully make music with my bros. I am also booked for
a Twiztid tour in the states after my tour across Canada to promote my
2nd album “Lawn Mower Man” , so I am also looking forward to that.
The Source: Is there anything you would like to say to your fans about returning to
the USA?
Madchild: I would like to thank all my American fans and family (all the
Battleaxe Warriors) for being so Incredible and loyal! I am
legitimately excited about coming back and touring heavily and
re-connecting with all of you! Our family is growing at such an
impressive rate and now that I am allowed into the States, the
possibilities for our movement are endless! I will probably be spending
a lot of time in LA on my down time, as I’ve always felt like Los
Angeles was my second home.
Madchild will release his solo album on August 6th entitled “Lawn Mower Man”.
For more information on the album and upcoming tour dates, visit Suburban Noize Records/Battle Axe at http://www.suburbannoizerecords.com/
By Mark A. Macpherson
@the541guy
