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Logic’s ‘Everybody’ is an Honest Plea

Logic appears to have a firm grasp on who he is, even if it feels at times like he’s preaching to the choir.

Logic hasn’t had a hit. To rephrase; Logic hasn’t had a radio hit. His first two full length records, Under Pressure and The Incredible True Story, both went gold on the strength of his core audience and without much (if any) support from the radio. But he’s yet to score that big, glistening hit.

That’s about to change with Everybody, his sprawling and incredibly weighty third release. Everybody is a concept record dealing with the complexities of race, love, life, and death. It’s a simultaneous open letter to his fans and his haters; those who adore his rapping-ass-rapper ways and them who criticize his openly geeky mannerisms and proud bi-racial identity.

Everybody is Logic’s answer an identity crisis created by his tumultuous upbringing in Maryland and a crisis perpetuated by social media. In an age where hashtags are an empty answer for challenging cultural questions, Logic refused to speak on race and equality via the internet. Instead, he put out a record that will generate as much discussion as it will move units.

“Hallelujah” blasts off in grand seven minute fashion with a jubilant Logic crooning “..open your eyes”.  It’s an ambitious look through the colorblind lens that paint Logic’s world. And while it’s certainly driven and full of light, there’s something darker beneath the surface.

“Confess” features a sermon from Killer Mike, rather than a traditional verse, while “America” welcomes Chuck D, Black Thought, Big Lenbo, and Logic over a No I.D beat. It’s gritty to a fault, but can’t get out of its own way. The anti-Trump rhetoric feels stale, but the bars devoted to Kanye are certainly gif worthy. “Man it’s all love but the youth is confused, your music is 20/20 but those political views is blurred.” Shots hardly fired, but the effort is cute. It feels hard to believe in Logic as an activist of any kind beyond the gifted MC with a knack for spreading love.

The record’s most interesting moments come during “Killing Spree”, a song entirely necessary for hip hop’s attention deficit disorder. It’s no secret that Logic enjoys simple pleasures like video games, TV, and rap music. Yet just like his minions, his timeline is full of the twerked restlessness of the inevitable turn up. There’s an endless list of national disasters on the evening news, but he are in the age of “Ass, Titties, Pussy, Money, and Weed.” The song is a banger right down to his K-Dot-inspired flow.

The head scratching moments come by way of skits narrated by Astrophysicist and author Neil degrasse Tyson where he plays God discussing mortality and reincarnation with a recently deceased family man. It’s boldly Sci-Fi, and just as strange as it sounds.

On Everybody, Logic appears to have a firm grasp on who he is, even if it feels at times like he’s preaching to the choir. It remains to be seen if he’ll act as a voice for the voiceless, or if his next album is his last as hinted. Either way, Logic has drawn a line in the sand and straddles it with pride.

J. Dring About Author

My name is J.D, the music fanatic, writer, blogger, and educator. I've been in love with hip hop since Bishop got too close to the ledge. If it moves me, I'll cover it. I've written an unpublished novel, created Shiny Glass Houses, and had my work featured on the Bloglin for Mishka NYC. I'm lurking in the shadows on twitter @ThexGlassxHouse. Read. Comment. Get money.