Logic shocked the world on July 16 with a tweet announcing his retirement after the release of his last album “No Pressure,” which was released on July 24. According to the tweet, he is going to focus on raising his son.
For me, and many others, this was a huge surprise to hear. Despite the negative reaction to Logic’s 2019 album, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” I did not expect that his career would end anytime soon. However, I don’t believe that there was any better way for Logic to end his career than with “No Pressure,” which feels like a walk-off home run to a very solid career.
This new album brings back the memories of a younger, hungrier Logic, a rapper trying to make it in the rap world. However with this album, it does not feel like Logic is trying to make a name for himself, but instead releasing what he wants to while not caring anymore about what the media and critics think. There is no more pressure for Logic, hence the album’s name.
While in his 2019 album “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” we heard autotune and other things that did not feel like traditional Logic, this album has none of that. The lead song, carrying the same name of the album, gives me exactly what I look for when I listen to Logic: creative lyrics, fast flows and an overall uniqueness and imaginativeness that you rarely see in rap anymore. Continuing through the album, every song is different and just as original as the last.
The album covers many themes including Logic’s past, his future with his son and the critics he has amassed throughout his career. But it’s Logic’s skill with these subjects that puts him above other rappers. In the song “Soul Food II” which is about the artists he idolized growing up, along with shots at his critics. He says “Greatest lyricist to ever do it,” and for some that may be hard to argue against. He is certainly in the top five for me.
Another song that really stood out to me was “DadBod,” in which Logic details his daily life. I particularly enjoyed the story of the traditional trip to Target for the rapper showing that his life is not glamorous, that he is a father with normal responsibilities and that while the media is going to continue hyping up his life, in the end he is a normal person. Another highly creative song that I am used to seeing from Logic was “A2Z” which starts with Logic asking his son if he wants to learn the ABC’s. Logic then goes on to rap using every letter of the alphabet, concluding with a 2005 recording of his first ever song.
I could go through and praise every song on the album for its creativity, but I feel that is unnecessary. From top to bottom, this is one of the best albums I have heard. As much as it hurts to hear that this is the last we will hear of Logic, I am happy to know that he ended on a solid note and is going to be happy with his son.
