Logic

No Pressure

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Background by /u/emperorchill

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, known more commonly by his stage name Logic, is a 30 year old rapper from Rockville, Maryland. He grew up in the West Deer Park neighborhood of Gaithersburg, Marylan, primarily raised by his mother as his father was not a present figure in his early life due to a crippling cocaine addiction. His relationship with his mother was also very tense, due to her alcoholism and racist views on her biracial son. Growing up, he saw firsthand the making and selling of crack cocaine from his brothers. In just tenth grade, Logic was expelled from high school for truancy and failing grades.

After discovering the rapper RZA while watching “Kill Bill”, Logic started listening to Wu-Tang Clan and soon thereafter, The Roots. These artists sparked a love for hip hop in young Logic, who started buying instrumental CDs to rap over. His first moniker was “Psychological” under which he dropped an unofficial self-titled mixtape in 2009. After garnering some attention from the likes of Method Man and Ludacris, Logic dropped his first official mixtape, Young, Broke & Infamous in 2011. This release led to his signing to Visionary Music Group, who he is still signed to today. The next two years he released his second and third mixtapes under the label and continued to gain major critical and popular attention.

Logic’s first major achievement was being a member of the 2013 XXL Freshmen List, which included other rappers such as Joey Bada$$ and Action Bronson. Soon after, he released his fourth mixtape which led to him receiving a plethora of attention from bigger labels, including Def Jam Recordings, which he ended up signing to. In the coming years, Logic honed in on his craft and toured with other popular rappers, such as Kid Cudi and Big Sean. His debut album, Under Pressure was released on October 21, 2014 and sold 70,000 units in the first week. The following year he released his second album, a concept record titled The Incredible True Story and dropped a project or two each year up until 2020, including his first #1 album Everybody led by the hit single “1-800-273-8255”. Throughout the years, Logic has built up a very dedicated fanbase but has also been met with his fair share of criticism, catching flack and complaints for his lack of substance, reusing the same flow, and his “cringe” lyrics. Finally, on July 16th, 2020, Logic announced a seventh studio album, No Pressure, that would allegedly be his last, as he wanted to direct all his focus on being a husband and a father.

Logic’s influences shine clearly in his music, some may say to a fault. One of his biggest influences, Frank Sinatra, inspired Logic not only musically, but within his personality. Logic’s close group of confidantes, the “RattPack” is a play on Sinatra’s own Rat Pack. He grew up listening to Sinatra which started his love for jazz music and a laid-back attitude. He has also been vehemently outspoken on his love for director Quentin Tarantino and the inspiration he has received from his films. As for rappers, Logic has cited A Tribe Called Quest, Eminem, and OutKast as a few of his many direct influences. His use of samples is very obvious on his projects, as he often samples work from his favorite artists including OutKast and Erykah Badu, among others.

Review by /u/emperorchill

To preface this review, I just want to make one thing clear: this was not my favorite album this year. However, based on my past Logic stannery on this sub, I only felt it was fitting. Just wanted to lay down this quick disclaimer before I get into the entrails.

Clocking in at just under an hour, No Pressure mixes the best traits of old Logic with the incredible production of No I.D. Feeling more like a return to his old style than any other album in the past 4 years, Logic finally hits a bullseye on what all his fans wanted from him. That meticulous flow full of exciting wordplay over perfectly sampled beats that merges so well is back, something that has been absent for too long.

The album blends the narration aspect of Under Pressure with a more minor version of the conceptual style of the The Incredible True Story into a perfect mix of rap with some thematic storytelling. Altogether, it is a more playful and less concrete album compared to the previous mentioned, but in a good way. Whereas Under Pressure is an emotional glimpse into his previous experiences, No Pressure focuses more on his recent rap career and current life, including his being a husband, fatherhood, losing his love for rap, and struggle with fame. Although it is more of a laid-back project, he clearly has a lot on his mind and says what he is thinking, with no lack of serious content per usual.

Logic’s strength of rapping personal lyrics that tell stories of his life experiences is back and in full form, after a lengthy hiatus. He focuses a lot on his current life struggles, such as haters, critics, and even his own fans complaining about his music. However, he also pays thanks to the experiences that brought him to where he is today. His transformation from happy-go-lucky and positive rapper to a serious and loving father is something so clear in his actions, but even more so in his words.

The first song of mention is, “GP4” is the long awaited fourth installment of the Growing Pains series, so it is only fitting that it contains two OutKast samples. On this track, Logic reminisces on his upbringing and his success, something that defied all expectations. He even questions the motive of God with the lines, “My God, if you exist then why do you make life so hard?, If you exist the way you think is avant-garde, If you exist you got a funny way of showing it”, an understandable viewpoint based on his experience of so much unnecessary struggle throughout his childhood. The beat is such a perfectly sounding background for the serious content of Logic’s masterful flow.

Arguably my favorite track on the entire album is “Open MicAquarius III”. Opening with a pretend open mic session, Logic raps with a distant sounding effect on his voice, perfectly emulating the sound of an actual live performance. Rapping “Therapist tell me I don’t need to defend, Therapy tell me I don’t need to explain, Just drop the record on the needle and express my pain, Can’t wait until my son shine and together we reign”, Logic is finally coming to terms with the fact the his music will not please everyone. More importantly, it should be his outlet for stress and feelings, even if the price to pay is the hatred of fans and critics panning. A little more than halfway into the song, the beat switches onto a much more classic Logic beat; laid back piano sound, where Logic raps about moving from rap to fatherhood.

“Man i Is”, as I mention later, is a beautiful sampled track centered around how Logic became who he is today. He opens the track with the lines “West Deer Park, that’s my location, Life and death what we was facin’, Boy, gotta get that motivation, Back in the basement, Look at my idols, I’m feelin’ adjacent”, a shout out to the life before fame and how he used to yearn to sometime be in his current position. “I said I’m happy the man I is, And I’m proud of the man I’ve become, I’m proud that I’m from a slum, And never got cold, I never got numb” shows Logic embracing his past and accepting its part in forming his adult self. This is what most of the track focuses on, with the sweet trumpet sounds crooning in the back. He even recognizes lessons he learned as a young man and how they transfer to fatherhood, with the lines “And I’ll be sure to do more for my family than mine did, ‘Cause hip-hop rhymes taught me more than my moms did”

The last of the tracks that I personally feel are notable is “Dadbod”, fittingly named, because this entire song is centered around his fatherhood and being a husband. Logic enthusiastically takes aim at the fans calling for his “old music” back, “’Cause back in my day it was food stamps, And I love my wife like I am Chance, I bet you’d rap about the shit me and him rap about, If you had ever made it out, but you ain’t never had the chance.” The following verses echo a similar sentiment, talking about the rap game and how competitive it is, when in reality, they all should be working together to get to the top. The third verse consists almost entirely of Logic rapping about his “everyday life” like how he used to. Rather than actually give them something interesting, he details his daily schedule of changing diapers, getting groceries, and exhaustingly dealing with fans. Arguably my favorite bars of the entire album occur in this verse, where he snaps back at greedy fans with the lines, “They say that that boy done changed, He don’t rap about his everyday life, he ain’t the same, Goddamn, already had a hard life once, Am I supposed to recreate it every album for you cunts?.” Constantly rapping about his past is tiring and Logic has finally had enough. Although rapped with more humourous phrasing and tone, Logic means every word he says, which makes it so much more enjoyable.

There are other good songs on the project, but the ones I highlighted are my personal favorites. The opening half of the album is quite strong, especially the intro, and is just filled with the better songs. However, the fall off occurs in the last 5 tracks where it slowly diminishes in quality, with no time to recover. In general, Logic’s lyricism seems smoother and more polished on No Pressure, while maintaining a perfect balance of seriousness with humor and fun mixed in.

The strongest part of this tape is the beat selection and production. Consisting of primarily jazzy sampled sounds mixed with his classic boom-bap beats, Logic’s methodical flow fits right at home. “Soul Food II” is the anticipated sequel to the same name track on Under Pressure, even using the same sample, a highlight of the tape. Songs like “Perfect” and “A2Z” are more aggressive beats, with “Perfect” being the most braggadocious and arrogant song on the album. Filled with thumping bass and a harsh snare, this track is definitely the hardest on the project, and one of the few without an actual sample for the beat. Speaking of which, No I.D. did his absolute best work choosing the samples on “No Pressure”. Including multiple uses of OutKast, Erykah Badu, and Kanye West songs, he perfectly incorporates the 90’s rap sound into a modernized beat that Logic makes his own. My personal favorite sample is that of “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” on “Man I Is”. An absolutely perfectly looped sample of the trumpets off the classic OutKast track with Logic putting his own imprint over it.

In conclusion, I think No Pressure is one of Logic’s best works to date. A more modern, less polished version of Under Pressure mixed with The Incredible True Story. It takes the strengths of both albums, but mixes them in a way where they are not as successful together as he has shown they can be individually. I would heavily recommend this to any past Logic fan, and to rap fans in general, just based on the entertainment value of the album.

Favorite Lyrics by /u/emperorchill

Forgot my card at home, thank God I brought some cash Then I grab some Preparation H for the critics up my ass

-DadBod

All of my memories from past and present like two identities Logic fallin’ off is an obscenity Top five I better be, steadily Doggin’ these bitches like I’m a Pedigree

-No Pressure

Life can hit you harder than Drago But if I roll with the punches when it’s rocky, don’t ever stop me Never top me, never cocky, I’m never cocky Okay, well, maybe sometimes Occasionally in some rhymes

-Open MicAquarius III

Do you think Logic will really stay retired?

How do you feel this compares to his previous work?

Is this a good place to retire at?