There are some artists that can approach any style of song and leave it sounding expensive. Their 24-karat vocal cords deliver diamond-encrusted melodies that sit atop lavish instrumentals with a confidence that can charm the most stone-faced critic. New York’s Meyhem Lauren is the epitome of these artists, every release added to his already storied discography is a reminder as to why Lauren doesn’t concern himself with anything average.
For longer than anyone is willing to admit, Lauren has been in full control of hip-hop as he casually shifts his sonics and concepts to fit his will with rhyme schemes and deliveries that are constantly out-doing his last. Lauren has always had a taste for the unattainable, his songs are more like a collection of luxurious stories that depict situations of glamor and financial freedom. On the latest addition to his legacy, Lauren enlisted fellow underground icons Madlib and DJ Muggs, two of the game’s most prolifically awe-inspiring producers, for his grimy new LP, Champagne For Breakfast, out April 7 via Soul Assassins Records. The new album sees the vocalist continue to branch out into new territories while balancing his expensive taste with the flows to back it up. Lauren grooves through a full plate of bomb-esque drums and crawling textures with an infectious gusto that acts as a diamond in the rough of these otherworldly Madlib X DJ Muggs instrumentals.
After just under a decade in the game, Lauren still finds new ways to stretch his voice. The pockets he chooses to explore in these arrangements create these head-spinning flows that are delivered with Lauren’s signature confidence. Lauren is one of the guys that can rap over experimental drone music and make it sound like the new direction of hip-hop, his presence on a track is dominant and intimidating in a way that is all his own. The album starts off with the hyperactive single “Fresh Out The Water”. The larger-than-life drums attempt to keep up with the booming bars delivered by Lauren, each syllable forming a competing drumline to the neck-breaking patterns laid down by Muggs and Madlib. Lauren’s sharp wit allows him to form the blazing rhyme schemes that allow him to find these otherworldly flows. With the likes of Madlib and DJ Muggs deciding the sonic direction of your album, you’re going to need a plethora of melodies and flows to deploy on a whim. Lauren is one of, if not the only, rappers with a bag big enough to take on this slew of different tones and textures, and he makes it look so easy on these 15 songs.
Lauren isn’t using these flows to say just anything, every word on the album feels confident and permanent. His lyrics feature tales of scenes that most will only dream of but for the star of Champagne For Breakfast, it’s an everyday occurrence. These tales of grandiose days in the sun are met with menacing lyrics that are direct and threatening. A song like “Wild Salmon” features Lauren’s sense of humor and details a casual pool party while a moment like “Evolution” features a different side of Lauren. The latter track features the stories of how the rapper landed at these lavish events as he spins tales of his less-than-desirable climb to rap royalty. This duality starts to sum up the complex songwriting of Lauren, he balances these two worlds with ease in his writing by enjoying the fruits of his labor without forgetting the pain brought on by said labor, creating a humble yet self-assured tone in his lyrics.
Madlib and DJ Muggs have two of the most distinctive sonic palettes in modern hip-hop, the idea of those worlds colliding is enough to build up the excitement around Champagne For Breakfast. The instrumentals on the album bounce from rubbery, colorful tempos (“Dom VS Cris”) to simplistic textures with drum patterns that feel alive (“OD Wilson”). The chemistry between these beatmakers allows for these different tempos to transition into each other seamlessly, both Madlib and Muggs put just enough of their signature sound to the side in a sacrifice to give the LP its slick listening experience.
Champagne For Breakfast sounds like a statement piece for its vocalist. Meyhem Lauren used the egoless approach of Madlib and DJ Muggs’s production choices to catapult his layered verses and natural ability to craft infectious hooks. For far too long Meyhem Lauren has been looming in the shadows of hip-hop, Champagne For Breakfast has the artist screaming from the mountaintop of the genre with a well-deserved ego and regal silks.
