Lord Vino has travelled down a personal path of affluence and braggadocio, and he can’t stop rapping about it. Album – Upper Echelon RapArtist – Lord VinoRecord Label – Sway Entertainment (2017)Duration – 35 minutesLord Vino has travelled down a personal path of affluence and braggadocio, and he can’t stop rapping about it. “My flow tight, bar tight, you can feel the finesse, my chic tight from the face to the back to the breast,” he boasts on the opening title track.It’s his first studio album, and the vocal Nigerian rapper isn’t just flexing his vocal and lyrical muscles. He’s also massaging his ego too, and telling stories. Everything here sounds off like part-trumpeting, part-knowledge dispensation. So while he tells you he’s the greatest, there’s space for a lecture or two. ‘All mallam with him kettle’ preaches about self-respect and minding your business, while ‘LLMC (Local League Must Cast)’ talks about the inevitability of ‘peasants’ to self-destruct.‘Something light’ is self-reflection delivered with a ‘pepper dem’ delivery. Lady Donli and Teeto Ceemos offer dynamism on ‘Can’t stop’, with the former defining the melody. Reminisce brings through some of that mainstream swagger, on to the ‘Step to this’.At times, there’s just too much going on, and much of it seems like the rap equivalent of masturbation. But there’s enough wit and wordplay to carry it through as entertainment for you.Rating: 3/5Ratings1-Dull2-Boring2.5-Average3-Worth Checking Out3.5-Hot4-Smoking Hot4.5-Amazing5-PerfectionGet “Upper Echelon Rap” on Apple Music.
