Casto

“The only real borders lie between day and night, between life and death, between hope and loss”

The political environment is devolving into a spectator sport with dystopian undertones, society dividing quicker than the cancerous cells of a terminally ill patient, compassion is a lost art and art with substance limps across the finish line. Entertainment values are evaluated in corporate board rooms and new waves of art are pimped out for maximum profit. This is one of those old head tropes, an old man standing on the soapbox yelling about the changing of the guards and why I’m not with it.

The artist by the name of David Casto is not hard to find and occupies a border town in the Southwest. His music speaks volumes as does his ego. Like any conspiracy theory rooted in a thread of truth an ego has a root in something, at least one would hope. Casto’s latest project shows why his brand, his persona is large and why he deserves an ear, the limelight and why he feels he reigns supreme.

The project named “Words of a dying man 2”, is an offering that is far from a debut project. Casto is offering a solid project that has shown constant growth. His projects are usually entirely created only by him but with this recent project he had two guests help produce two separate tracks. A taste for control over the variables that make a project pop is what has enabled him to make an aurally aesthetic project. The introduction to the project titled “Beloved” has a hook that brings a tinge of gospel influence, Casto uses this opportunity to flex his lyrical prowess with multisyllabic ability and a hook that is soothing against the aggressiveness of his verses. Each subsequent track offers something just a little different in terms of cadence and lyrical range. It shows his ability to move between production and composing solid lyrics. With a voice that sounds radio ready he presents track after track that remind you why boom bap, golden era hip hop are enjoyable. Maybe this project isn’t the antithesis to so called “mumble rap” but it definitely is in conversation with lyrical greats and a sound of another era.