B-boys on the bus: (20 photos of Swollen Members)

As I sat in the comforts of the tour bus admiring the mirrored ceiling and plush leather upholstery, a rather short, blond-haired man with tattoos and intense eyes wandered from the back section and stuck his hand out to me.

"Sorry, I'd like to just introduce myself. I'm Mad Child. Nice to meet you."

I became a bit tongue-tied and prayed that my feet didn't stink.

To the left of me was Rob the Viking, silent and deep into the business of making music on his MacBook.

Across from me sat Prevail cracking jokes and making fun of the sound guy as he instructed him on the proper way to mix a Greyhound (vodka and grapefruit juice).

There I was with Swollen Members on the Sault Ste. Marie stop of their Black Magic tour

Founded in the mid-1990s, this Juno-winning Canadian hip hop group is no stranger to hard work and life on the road.

Swollen Members got a jump start to international success when, in 1996, they became officially affiliated with the legendary Rock Steady Crew after Mad Child won a rap battle at a B-Boy Summit in San Diego, California, making them one of only three rap groups to hold such an honour.

"I knew this was going to be something to bear witness to", Prevail recalled with obvious satisfaction.

"It was a great hip hop moment that anyone who was there will absolutely have it clearly embedded into their memory to this day, I'm sure."

Referring to hip hop as a cultural bridge, Prevail believes although the subjects may be different, the messages are the same.

Truth and life.

"There are certainly places in the U.S., just as much as there are in Canada or Sweden or Peru, that people are living that style of life, and that's the most real thing about hip hop", he told me.

"The majority of the people talk about what they see in their surroundings. There's not really any difference, I don't think, between Canadian and American hip hop. Everyone's got their own individual point of view. Those who can do it with originality and truth, those are the people that rise to the top."

Although hip hop is not a style of music that is commonly affiliated with Canada, it has been Swollen Members' sense of brotherhood, conviction and commitment to their art that has helped them rise to the top and break into international markets.

"We feel that once you have Mad Child, myself and Rob the Viking all concentrated on the same page as far as what it takes to record an album, as far as what it takes to stay on the road, the work ethic really rises and that's one thing Swollen really has working in our favour", Prevail stated with a grin.

"We realize what it takes in this game, especially in this day and age, to be able to break into other countries."

Always behind Swollen Members stoking the fire of their ambition are their fans, who have a huge role in the band's creative process.

Their connection and devotion to their audience is clearly demonstrated at every Swollen members show as Prevail and Mad Child spend almost as much time interacting with the crowd as they do with each other.

"That energy is what Swollen Members feeds off of when we're either in the studio recording an album like Black Magic or on the road touring", says Prevail.

"We're in a fortunate position because our listeners are very straightforward with us. They'll let us know what they like and what they don't like. What greater tool can you have as an artist than to know what your listeners like?"

This week's Swollen Members show at the Speakeasy was no exception.

As they shoved the monitors out of the way to have a clear path to the audience and invited people to come up on stage, the excitement in the room rose and I knew this would be an experience to remember.