Breakfast For Champions

It seems we get to have a further look into a couple artists I only discovered recently and one I’ve had proper experience with since last year! A trio that on paper sounds like it would be solid and turns out in practice hits as hard as I expected! Let’s talk about it! This is the December 2025 album by the combination of MC Mr. Ripley and Production from -Tali Rodriguez -Sinamatik -Mr. Ripley And this album features the likes of -Crotona P -Mars Hall -Sankofa -Street Da’ Villain -ADLIFE -Fazeonerok -Hiway730 And with this long list of features we have a record with a solid 15 tracks, 40 minutes and actually an interesting combination of sounds and mixes that make for an interesting listen! If we start first with the production we can see the full picture of various influences that make each track feel unique and most importantly ‘individual’ If we start with the track -Weird Science we hear a song that sounds ripped right out of an 80’s sci fi movie! If ‘Back To The Future’ was fused with Hip Hop this is how it would sound. You’ve got those consistent sharp synth chords combined with those keyboard notes that dabble on in the background combined with some thudding drums to create this outwardly sound that is ever so satisfying! We have the track -Apply Pressure which has a smooth atmosphere to it with those light keys, hypnotic and subtle bass as well as some strings in the background that gives this song a theatrical feel to it! There’s some evolution in the drums that get louder and heavier as the track goes on and forces you to mean mug the beat! Or we can even discuss that finale track -After Hours which has a pretty melodic/classical feel to it with those sombre style vocal harmonies that’s combined with those rhythmic drum beats, deep strings and what sounds like some light keys in the background that help provide some more texture to an already lush instrumental! Even ending with that skit like sequence that helped carry the track to its finale destination! When we discuss the MC work on this thing we see Mr. Ripley come quipped with a roster of names to help balance the record off with strong features and showing incredible chemistry between the tracks. As I’ve only had limited experience with Ripley in the past it’s cool for me to see his evolution and progress as I get to skim through his past work that will undoubtedly lead me to approach his future content more! Across this 40 minutes we hear a man who actually sounds excited and inspired! This is more or less a conceptual effort on his part and I feel that’s added an extra sense of determination, depth and confidence on his part (based at least on what I’ve heard of him prior to this one) and it’s fun as a listener to hear! From his immersive lyricisms, to his dedication on wordplay and themes to his content and synchronicity with the various MC’s and back and fourth with the two producers he’s making himself be the action star of this sonic movie and his performances speak as much! If I had to play devil’s advocate and choose my favourite feature on this project it would have to be -Crotona P! He’s a man I’ve fucked with for the past 3 maybe 4 years now and he’s never let me down yet! So shoutout to him! Another solid album by Mr. Ripley and company! From the engaging performances to the terrific production! It’s got everything and more!