‘Board Member’ is the title of Ebenezer Obey’s hit song from the 1970s, and RhookCastle engages a throwback and nostalgia and establishes a link with that title.
Born and raised in Akure, Ondo State, as the son of a pastor and a teacher as he rapped about ‘Poseidon,’ UK-based RhookCastle effortlessly glides between Yoruba and English to deliver well-crafted lyrics about his life.
On his sophomore EP, Boardmember, which is a follow-up to his 2020 effort, Chexk.
His entire career reads like a concept note in chess; his stage name is RhookCastle and his first project is titled ‘Check.’
‘Boardmember’ is a play on words for his desire to be part of the establishment in Nigerian Rap music. The opening track, ‘En Passant’ is a rule in chess, which means, “the capture by a pawn, of an enemy pawn on the same rank and an adjacent file that has just made an initial two-square advance.”
As the dark nigh sad vocal samples swoon the opening, RhookCastle, who is based in the UK speaks about his origins in Akure, as well as his reality in the UK. The flow, though, is very reminiscent of the biggest UK rappers.
‘Energy’ is a calmer record, on which RhookCastle serenades a love interest with expensive statements like, “You make time freeze...”
Calm down o, RhookCastle. You might be dating Dr. Strange. ‘Poseidon’ is a Drill record crafted around the smart line, “I came from the bottom to the top, with the flow that will topple Poseidon...” while engaging in braggadocious raps, while he fancies himself a maverick who can’t be understood or conquered.
‘Shola’s Want’ is a mellow Drill song, filled with another dedication to his love interest, as he discusses his dreams for her, and plans to finish her with enjoyment. He calls her “gold in a rot.” This writer would be surprised if this song wasn’t about a real person.
‘Blessed’ is a religious dedication to God, filled with gratitude and restatement of faith. As the son of a pastor, his dad should be proud of this. But the beauty of the song is the numerous samples of Gospel songs under it.
‘Running’ samples Chike’s hit single, ‘Running,’ and it’s another love song aboard a Drill beat. That’s a third love song out of six.
Verdict
While Rhookcastle spits personal lyrics about gratitude, love and himself, the album title is really at loggerheads with the content of the album. While the production itself, could have been better, the content of RhookCastle rap’s is the biggest reason anyone would come back.
Ratings: /10 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Tracklist: 1/2
Lyricism, penmanship and Delivery: 1.6/2 Production: 1/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.2/2 Execution: 1.3/2
Total:
6.1: Victory