Modern day rap music has been divided in half. The younger generation centric to mumble rap seems to be led by any rapper that’s name starts with Lil. While the other, more clever and lyrically dominant half is led by rappers like Logic who has kept this going with his latest album, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.”
The album was teased with Logic’s collaboration with Eminem on the song “Homicide,” which was released on May 3, a week before the full album’s release date. This song helps set the tone for the entire album as the two artists diss other rappers and celebrities for their criticisms on both Eminem and Logic. Eminem raps the final verse of the song and ramps up the flow and energy that Logic started. This song was one of the highlights for the album for me because I am a massive Eminem fan and this partnership has been something I have been wanted for a while.
While I assumed that the rest of the album would struggle to keep up to the excellence that “Homicide” put forth, I was pleasantly surprised when I listened. The album was very interesting and brought a different type of flow and identity to the table compared to other rappers. This is one of the things that worries me whenever I listen to new music because much of it can become repetitive, yet Logic does not struggle with this at all.
Once I delved into the rest of the album, one of the first songs that caught my attention was “clickbait.” Its unique beat and chorus sets it apart from a large amount of modern day repetitive rap music. Its themes of drug abuse and social media culture addresses the glorification of drug culture and celebrity overdoses and how the media seems to have used this as a way to profit and boost their own careers. He even goes as far as taking a moment of silence for Lil Peep who was a rapper that overdosed in Nov. 2017. This is just one of the many songs in the album that has a deeper meaning and message, similar to what Logic has done in the past with songs like “1-800-273-8255”, which has always been a strong suit for him.
Another song that stood out was “Don’t Be Afraid to Be Different” which featured the Fresh Prince of Bel Air himself, Will Smith. The song, despite its very repetitive chorus, has an incredibly catchy beat and brings a fun and positive message which is the same as its title of not being afraid to be different.
I could go through and analyze the lyrics of every song on this album, from the classic rap songs like “Pardon my Ego” where Logic flaunts the success he’s had in his career to the deeper meaning songs like “Cocaine” where Logic mocks other rappers for their fascination with drugs and gangs, but to do that would be an injustice to the album itself. I recommend everyone go out and listen to this album as it is truly one of the best albums that Logic has put out.
