[su_dropcap style=”simple”]W[/su_dropcap]hen was the last time you rapped in front of the GZA and got crowned the “New York Science Genius?” I definitely can’t say I have, but the 19-year old NYC native Jalib Johnson can. He’s been rapping since he was 9 years old and has been honing his skills ever since. Though light on releases, Jalib is overflowing with talent. Listen to “Determined” and download it for free!

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2N9Y4cOYWs”]

“Detemined” sticks to a melody that keeps Jalib Johnson wordplay in the limelight!

The production toes a healthy line between creating a lush atmosphere for the listener while still making sure Jalib’s rapid lyricism shines on through. He shows off his lyrical craft (and poetic intonations) through lines like:

[su_quote]“…I think that my lack of age disguises my intuition, imprisoned inside my mind, my cellmate is division, and you, if you would just listen / thats why i’m always subtractin’, it’s hard to make some additions, one person division, myself as my competition..” [/su_quote]

It’s mind boggling to see talent like Jalib Johnson is in the raw, with only around 200 Soundcloud followers to boot. I guess being a full-time college student, artist, and musician leaves him with little time to promote. Regardless, “Determined” is a track that’s smug and jazzy, yet lyrically sharp. We’re excited to see how Jalib develops his sound and his lyricism over the course of his coming career. He hasn’t announced any upcoming releases, but hopefully “Determined” is a sign that there’s more to come from this young phenom.

Stream “Determined” here and enjoy: it’s a free download!

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Jalib Johnson is on Soundcloud, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.