New Brunswick’s hip hop stalwart, wunderkind, philanthropist (eat your heart out Tony Stark) Wolf Castle takes the spotlight by force on his latest release, Da Vinci’s Inquest, and dares anyone to try and take it back from him. Tristan Grant (government name) brings his well-known flair and flow to a new bevy of beats that with have you bobbing your head.
Wolf Castle has always had high energy, heavy-hitting beats backing his boisterous bars but is at his best when he dabbles into an extra level of instrumentation to those beats to flesh out the sound. This is highlighted on Da Vinci’s Inquest on tracks like the album’s jumping-off point, “Get Lit.” The string instruments create a much more grandiose and fleetingly orchestral feel that fits its lyrical content, the album’s namesake, and hopefully a future video.
“NAÏVE” and “Summertime Crush” follow up the collection and both similarly utilize the little something extra in production. “NAÏVE” features teasingly seductive guitars and while its theme could very much be taken as an attempted advance of a woman; it also easily doubles as a tale of his career and an assurance that his talents and drive will get him where he wants to be.
As if the title didn’t make it clear enough, “Summertime Crush” is a complete dalliance into a more radio-friendly, dare I say, “hip-pop” style. It’s the only song of the lot not to require an explicit language warning. It serves as a fantastic example of Wolf Castle’s growing flexibility and could hook in a new line of fans.
Grant closes the set off by not relinquishing his spotlight but allowing some of his fellow talented east coast indigenous cohorts to join in his shine on “Top Dogs.” It’s your classic rap ensemble track and, aside from his uncle Raphael de le Rez’s hook on “Gunna,” it’s the only effort on the album to feature anyone aside from Wolf Castle. “Tops Dogs” gives plenty of breathing room for each talent to shine, featuring the aforementioned Raphael, Shift from the 902, Talon The Rez Kid Wonder, and Flacko Finesse. It’s the perfect album climax as Grant spends the rest of Da Vinci’s Inquest daring you to try not to pay him attention and, once he has it, opens things up for his peers.