Brand new single alert! This time by an artist I’ve yet to discover until now, and one bringing with him some legendary characters and a banging producer to help the explosive nature of the track BOOM! Let’s talk about it!
This is the brand new single by MC Mr. Ripley with features from Planet Asia & Pab Montega and production from Sinamatik to tie it all together with this just shy of four-minute track. Each man on this list delivers their best work I’ve heard to date, and Mr. Ripley is thoroughly impressing me!
Let’s start with the production. I can say I wasn’t expecting what I ended up hearing. It has a 70’s Thriller/Action score to me. The first thing that came to mind was Lethal Weapon or Die Hard! It has that nostalgic/atmospheric vibe with those galactic, synth-style drums and also high-pitched synths that are ripped right out of that era!
Going through the track, we have these plucked strings that I can’t help but groove to! As well as these (what sounds like short and sharp violin snippets) that come and go in rapid scale!
This instrumental legit reminds me of a 70’s movie cop chase! A very action-based sound with glorified production and refreshingly organic instruments to use! I feel like a 12-year-old kid again re-watching all the classic 70’s/80’s action films on my bulky TV!
Now, onto the MC work. As mentioned above, we have three names on the mic. All three masters in their own right, and all three provide a different feel, charisma, and characteristics to the track that makes it feel exciting and unique!
Mr. Ripley, to me, has a no-nonsense, sharp, and raw distinct sound to him, where he delivers vivid imagery combined with raw execution and was one to set the standards in motion for the rest of the track!
He sounded solid, relentless, and heavy with conviction. The type of MC you can tell thought on his words and didn’t just let any bars fly just because they rhyme. He’s careful and calculated with his verses, and that’s what you can feel when you hear him rap them!
Planet Asia (who is a legend in the underground) comes through with a banger on his end as well: with flawless flow, excellent wordplay and distinctive vocabulary and pen game that has carried him well these past handful of years! He also brings with him his trademark aura and personality that has him stand out and recognised whenever any of his tracks are played! The mark of an icon!
As far as Pab goes, he also goes out of his way to deliver a classic verse! Filled with punchy delivery, magma pen game and a swagger so enormous he could have covered the whole track with it!
He sounded sharp-witted with impassioned rhythm and the mind of an MC hustler utilising every word, shaping every bar to fit exactly into the beat and deliver the performance of a lifetime!
This isn’t just a rap song, it’s a hip-hop masterclass of extraordinary proportions that showcases the very best the underground has to offer from the MC’s on the front line to the skilled producers making things pop on behind the desk! It all came together beautifully!
https://mrripley9857.bandcamp.com/track/levitate
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 