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Rapper, songwriter, and record producer Robert Bryson Hall II, better known as Logic, surprised everyone on July 16th, 2020 when he announced via Twitter that he would be dropping his sixth album called “No Pressure” on the 24th. Not only would it be his sixth album, but it would also be his last album. As of July 24th, he has retired from his decade long career. The album served as a sequel to his debut album, “Under Pressure,” released in 2014. He is best known for his honest lyrics about his difficult upbringing, with both parents having dealt with substance abuse and him being expelled from high school. How did Logic deliver on his last project with eighteen tracks?
“No Pressure (Intro),” “Hit My Line,” + “GP4”
The album opened up with “No Pressure (Intro).” In it, he introduced well known hip-hop producer and friend, No I.D. (real name Ernest Dion Wilson), who helped produce it. We first heard an altered clip from one of Logic’s idols, Orson Welles’ 1942 Suspense Radio Theater show titled “The Hitchhiker.” Logic was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and he talked about his poor upbringing, eating cereal with roaches in it and taking public transportation everywhere. He finished the track referencing the crack epidemic in the 1980’s and briefly talked about his father selling the drug when he said,
“the government got my pops.”
On the second track of “No Pressure” called “Hit My Line”, Logic pleaded to God for help. In the first line of the first verse where he said, “Now this ain’t my Jesus Walks,” he was referencing a song by his favorite rapper, Kanye West, called “Jesus Walks.” In that song, Kanye asked God to help him and the world. In “Hit My Line,” Logic asked God to stop kids from being drive-by shooting victims, to deal with evil politicians, and for people to stop hating him on Twitter. He also asked for help with his addiction to money, fame, and “arenas and people screamin’ my name.”
The third track of “No Pressure” is “GP4,” an abbreviation for “Growing Pains IIII.” This was the fourth installment of the “Growing Pains” series following “Growing Pains III” from “Under Pressure,” “Growing Pains II” from Logic’s second mix-tape, “Young Sinatra,” and the first “Growing Pains” from his debut mix-tape, “Young, Broke, and Infamous.”
He talked about how far he’s come since “the H.O.C.,” which is short for the Housing Opportunities Commission, an organization responsible for providing affordable housing for poor people. He reminisced about breaking into people’s homes and worrying about being arrested by the cops while growing up in the Fireside Condominiums in Gaithersburg. Now he’s a successful artist who has communicated with notable artists like Erykah Badu for music samples.
“Celebration,” “Open Mic\\Aquarius,” + “Soul Food II”
The fourth track of “No Pressure” called “Celebration” was a celebratory song about Logic’s rise to fame. He admitted that he used to let other people’s opinions of him make him feel worse about himself, but he no longer does. He believed that people told him how he should make music because it was what they wanted to do. He was comfortable doing what he wanted because he was living in a mansion and his critics were “sleeping in a cot.” He accepted that people are going to criticize you no matter what you do.
On “Open Mic\\Aquarius III,” Logic shared that when his mother was pregnant with him, she was abusing crack cocaine. He learned more about life through hip-hop music than his own mother because of his distant and strained relationship with her. One lesson that he learned is that being rich doesn’t “complete us” as human beings, and being rich and famous is not a blessing. He echoed this sentiment in the fourth verse where he talked about his son, Little Bobby. Being a father brought him more happiness than rap music.
The track “Soul Food II” on “No Pressure” was the sequel to “Soul Food” that appeared in Logic’s debut album “Under Pressure.” He was once shocked that he was able to have conversations with hip-hop legends, but then he became surprised that those same legends saw themselves as better than everyone else. Despite becoming rich and famous, he did not believe money is the key to happiness, and thought that if you’re looking for genuine love in the music business, you won’t find it.
The second verse was a re-telling of the Sci-Fi story behind Logic’s second studio album, “The Incredible True Story.” The story was about two men living in the year 2115 who decided to take a rocket ship to another planet called Paradise so they could escape Earth, which had a shrinking human population.
“Perfect,” “Man I Is,” + “Dad Bod”
Logic called out family members who suddenly appeared in his life once he became famous in the short seventh track of “No Pressure” called “Perfect.” The line, “They say, ‘Drink to your accomplishments,’ so every night I’m faded” is a reference to a song by Canadian superstar rapper Drake called “Headlines.” Logic bragged about how much better at rapping he was compared to others. The title of the song stemmed from a sound bite he used from the video game “Street Fighter II.” Although he would often express humbleness in his music, this was one of his tracks where he boasted about his riches.
“Man I Is” began with a sample from rapper Pimp C’s “Knocking Doorz Down.” Logic was proud of himself despite growing up in poverty in West Deer Park in Maryland. He mentioned a time when he was a struggling artist and wrote and produced his music in the basement of one of his label mates. He acknowledged his mental health issues and admitted that rap music was a form of therapy for him. He paid respect to other artists he idolized who came before him such as Pimp C, Andre 3000, Big Boi from Outkast, Erykah Badu, and J Dilla.
Logic talked about Little Bobby and no longer wanting to be part of the hip-hop industry on the ninth track of “No Pressure” called “Dad Bod.” The meaning of “dad bod” is a slim, un-toned male physique. He called out critics who said that he would not rap about his every day life. He pointed out that his life nowadays was drastically different than his life when he was younger. He now has a child to raise and his everyday life would consist of going to Target and buying groceries like every other person.
“5 Hooks,” “Dark Place,” + “A2Z”
Logic used even more Kanye West references in his song “5 Hooks” where he said, “It’s what you all been waitin’ for, ain’t it.” This line can be found in Kanye’s song, “Barry Bonds.” He played with words when he said No I.D. is his mentor, “but it’s time for the story’s end.” In Kanye’s song, “Big Brother,” he too mentioned No I.D., but instead said, “now let the story begin.” Logic is of course alluding to the fact that “No Pressure” is his last album.
“Dark Place” is where he went into depth about his struggles with depression and anxiety. He complained about people who critiqued him for not being black enough, not being “hood” enough, not being rich enough, or not being poor enough. The outro part of the song was a speech sample from a famous British writer and speaker named Alan Watts. He spoke about materialism and people’s desire for expensive items in order to feel happy. However, many people, upon receiving the material item they wanted, are not satisfied, and instead want more material items.
Logic cleverly taught his son the alphabet in “A2Z.” Each line directly or indirectly mentioned each letter. For example, in the first line of the first verse where he said, “Yeah, ayy, I been real that’s all I ever knew how to be,” the phrase “ayy” represents the letter “A” and “be” represents “B.” One of the standout lyrics is when he said that he “never went to school, never went to MIT, but my imagination out of this world like MIB.” MIT referred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and “MIB” is an acronym for the Men in Black movie series.
“Heard Em Say,” “Amen,”+ “Obediently Yours”
“Heard Em Say,” the sixteenth track of “No Pressure,” is an ode to Kanye West, who also had a track of the same name on his second studio album “Late Registration.” Although Logic was a famous rapper, he still dealt with issues that non-famous people go through, like being criticized by haters or clashing with your boss. He also felt his personality and mannerisms were different than everyone else, and others made sure to make him feel like an outcast. He told his listeners that even though he has flaws, he still accepted himself for who he is even if some people do not. He encouraged his fans to hold the same attitude.
“Amen” was a song dedicated to those who’ve been with the rapper through the good and bad. He used to think being accepted by everyone would make him happy, but he learned that he will never make every single person happy. He confessed that sometimes people made him want to question whether he wanted to live or not. However, he reminded himself that tomorrow will bring a better day. He ended the song saying that “No Pressure” is his last celebration of how far he has come from living in Section 8 housing.
The final track on “No Pressure” called “Obediently Yours” was a spliced sample from an episode of the Orson Welles Commentaries. He discussed the physical assault of a black World War II veteran named Isaac Woodard Jr. by a white police officer. Logic used the words of Orson Welles to express his own feelings. Orson and Logic believed that because they earn money from the public, they owed something back to the public. They both viewed themselves as “obedient servants” to their consumers. One could say Logic believed he owed his fans good music and encouraging words through his music.
No More Pressure
“No Pressure” was a perfect ending to Logic’s ten year career and a farewell to fans who have supported him throughout. Some were skeptical about whether this album was his last. Some artists would announce they were retiring from making music, only to come back from retirement years later. For now, his fans will have to accept that he’s done. He will very much be missed but his artistic legacy will live on forever.