Album Review: Rizzle Kicks - ‘Competition is for Losers’

Review: Rizzle Kicks - ‘Competition is for Losers’

Released 14th February 2025

BMG Records

2024 saw the reunion of some big bands, Oasis of course being the biggest, but out of the blue I saw Rizzle Kicks come up on my Spotify Release Radar playlist. And what a welcome surprise it was.

Their debut album ‘Stereo Typical’ was released in 2011 and went platinum in 2012. Peaking at #5 in the charts following its release. With their biggest hit, ‘Mama Do The Hump’ being produced by another Brighton local - Norman Cook/Fat Boy Slim. This went on to, and continues to be their highest charting release after it hit #2 in the UK Singles chart.

‘Roaring 20s’ followed in 2013, with Norman Cook once again listed as a producer after the success of the first album, and the opening two tracks were produced by N4 Records head honcho and Amiga maestro, Pete Cannon. This album went gold and surpassed their best album chart position, peaking at #3 in the UK Album Chart.

The Brighton-based duo then took some time away from the band to pursue different projects around 2014. Both entering the world of acting, whilst also releasing solo projects intermittently.

Jordan Stephens started 3 musical projects under the names Wildhood, Al, The Native, and Gnarly Ventura, and since 2019 has been releasing music under his own name rather than an alias. Stephens hosted the ITV2 Panel Show ‘Don’t Hate The Playaz’ which drew comparisons to ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ and in August 2024, he released his instant Sunday Times Best Selling Autobiography ‘Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak & Dogs’.

Harley Alexander-Sule was releasing music under the name Jimi Charles Moody and found success in the form of a Lexus advert which featured his song ‘House of Moody’. The same track was also featured on the Madden NFL 16 game soundtrack. Since 2018, Alexander-Sule has been releasing music under the name Harley Sulé and his TV roles have included ‘Unforgotten’, ‘The Guvnors’ & most recently - ‘The Break’.

Rizzle Kicks on 'Great Company' with Jamie Liang

Both have been very open about suffering with mental health issues which contributed to the hiatus of the band. Stephens discussed his substance abuse on Fearn Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’ podcast (watch here) in 2022, coupled with depression brought on by his grandmother’s death and the suicide of a close friend. And Alexander-Sule spoke about his experience with panic attacks, anxiety and OCD during an appearance on ‘Great Company’ with Stephens and the host Jamie Liang.

But it seems, while both will still obviously experience these things for the rest of their lives, that for now they have subsided. Both seem more than ready to return to the Rizzle Kicks project and with the reception the album has had, I think the people were ready for their return too.

'Competition Is For Losers' Album Cover

‘Javelin’ was the first single to be released. It was immediately moved into my playlists and played on repeat. It’s as if they never left the studio, that classic Rizzle Kicks sound but with a new lease of life. A catchy, funky bop with a care-free attitude, and a message of launching your problems through the air. Having already got over 1.5 million streams, it seems I wasn’t the only one excited about their return.

‘Gumdrops’ followed shortly after, delivering the same funk and head-nodding rhythm, until the final 30 seconds where the song breaks down into a really lovely half-time, RnB style outro. You’d except this to lead into the next tune, or at least I did, but no. ‘What’s Your Plans?’ follows with a more synth-lead beat laced with lyrics about the pair’s experience with drugs, life in London and their recovery from the vicious cycle that can so easily trap so many. I'd absolutely love to hear more of that R&B breakdown in 'Gumdrops' though, could this be a tease at what we are to expect in the future? Perhaps.

There are a few collaborations on the album, the first being Maverick Sabre, a more solumn, laid back beat, with a narrative that follows modern life of a someone in the spotlight, juxtaposed with reality, references to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower in 2017, systematic racism, and the death of Jordan’s friend, Ebo. This track ends with a short quote from Ex-Trader and Economist, Gary Stevenson, once the best and most profitable trader for Citibank.

The other stand-out for me is from hip-hop legend DJ Premier, who has produced pretty much every massive hip-hop artist on the planet at some point. A classic hip-hop/boom-bap beat gives the pair a license to bar. Other collabs come from Mick Jenkins & Lex Amor.

Having listened to the album in full now, all I can say is that it’s welcome return for the Brighton natives. Seamlessly blending their signature funky, hip-hop style with more modern R&B grooves.

A really solid album, plenty of variety whilst never straying too far from their roots. It still remains in the Hip-Hop and R&B chart since its release, currently sitting at #36, but the peak may now have passed. In the Official Album Chart it hit #18, before settling at #59 for 1 week. However, in the Official Album Sales Chart they have peaked at #9, and in the Physical Albums Chart they’ve gone one better, peaking at #8. I wouldn’t have expected much more from the Official Charts, as classic albums which continuously sell will always hold their place in the Top 100. Their real success was always going to lie in the Hip-Hop and R&B Albums, and Independent Album Charts, hitting #3 & #4 peaks respectively.

Charts aren’t everything though, as the album name suggests, and regardless of its position it’s a strong return from Rizzle Kicks after such a long hiatus, and you can stream/purchase the album from all the usual spots. You can also catch the lads live across the country from March 2025, with tickets selling fast, I'd move quick unless you want to be left disappointed.

Instgram: @rizzlekicks

Website: www.rizzlekicks.com