Jaali Cypher - "All We Need" - Single

[StevePulaski]

"All We Need" - Single (2015)
By: Jaali Cypher

Rating: ★★★½

For as dark and ambiance-heavy as Justin "Jaali Cypher" Smith's new single "All We Need" is, it's also undoubtedly infectious and hard-hitting. Thanks to Cypher's incredibly fast-paced flow, and his detailed lyricism, the song becomes a terrific, almost freestyle-esque rap song that could very well do the honors of kicking off an album or solidifying a successful underground rap career.

Set to a "Kendrick Lamar"-style beat, "All We Need" bears a flow similar to something Drake would take on as a song, save for the deeper, sometimes raspier vocals. Cypher's ability to fast-rap most of his flows, only slowing down slightly before the chorus in one part of the song, is a tremendous talent for someone as young as him. Cypher is also an evident imagist, painting pictures of him and his buddies smoking marijuana right before his thoughts and ideas almost suffocate him as a person. Anybody who has ever fallen prey to their ideas and their own preconceived thoughts about certain things will see something in Cypher's cries and rapid-fire flow.

"All We Need" could very well pass as a terrific lead single on an album or a future EP; it's rare a song winds up being this attractive and easy-to-listen-to given how dark and ominous the instrumentation and feel can get. Like a Halloween fog machine, the ambiance sneaks up on you until you find yourself consumed in all of it and it makes for a strong piece of creative songwriting.

Listen to the full song on Jaali Cypher's SoundCloud, soundcloud.com/jaali-cypher/jaali-cypher-all-we-need