What a guilty pleasure it is having Queens emcee Meyhem Lauren flow all over the production of such esteemed producers in Madlib and DJ Muggs! ‘Champagne For Breakfast‘ is the latest release from Lauren and another top tier installment for an artist that has quite the discography of raw, high quality hip hop. Revisiting the chemistry that was evident on previous collaborations with both artists, this album is really well crafted. We get 15 tracks that range anywhere from one minute to five minutes, and is structured to build from the delicate piano keys that kick things off on the intro, to the funky, blaxploitation themed finale. And with only two features, this certainly feels like a true collaboration between incredible artists that have immense respect for each other and their craft.
Hip hop heads have been blessed with two tracks in the lead up to this release, ‘Wild Salmon‘ and ‘Fresh Out The Water‘ and both tracks have been brilliant in their own way – this in-your-face, more traditional boom bap anthem (Fresh Out The Water) and the soul / funk influenced ‘Wild Salmon‘. Both tracks have an inspired Meyhem at the forefront, bringing the bars with an equal balance of bravado and bullish confidence, and the rest of the album continues in a similar manner. The blending of two iconic beatsmiths in Madlib and Muggs is seamless, with this project sounding unique and varied from any of the other projects they have individually delivered for Lauren, and more robust than his latest offering with Daringer.