Review: Logic - Under Pressure
By Xavier Veccia, Managing Editor
[Def Jam; 2014]
Rating: 7/10
Key Tracks: “Under Pressure,” “Nikki,” “Gang Related”
Spoiler alert: Logic’s Under Pressure is good. Hell, it’s one of the better rap albums of 2014. It’s almost as if it was tailor made to be well-received. And that’s the worst thing about it.
A little backstory: Logic is far from new on the scene. His Young Sinatra series of mixtapes is one of the most well-received in recent memory. What makes him stand out isn’t necessarily his beats or charisma but his lyrics, which Lupe Fiasco claimed Logic was better at than King Kendrick himself. But considering some of his best songs were heavily sample-based--such as “Inception” and “The Spotlight”--it was hard for young Bobby Hall to really make the jump to the next level.
On Under Pressure, Logic tries to make this jump and in a lot of ways succeeds. Under Pressure certainly feels like the most complete project yet released by the Maryland spitter. Besides the songs, the album is also littered with skits that act as glue to make the album flow in just the right way.
His lyrics are just as good as ever. “Gang Related” is a two-verse track on which Logic switches between his point-of-view and his older brother’s. It’s easily one of the best tracks both conceptually and lyrically on Under Pressure, especially when Logic is rapidly rambling, “Show me the enemy and I’mma hit ‘em / The second I bit ‘em, I get ‘em and hit ‘em with the venom.”
Because of this, Logic’s debut is getting a lot of “Album of the Year” buzz. It’s being heralded as one of the best rap albums since good kid, m.A.A.d city. And it is a damn good rap album. It’s everything rap is meant to be. However, what the album showcases in hip-hop basics, it lacks in originality.
There’s a handful of tracks that show the many talents of Bobby Hall, but drag on because they sound so “been there, done that.” Songs like the five-and-a-half minute “Buried Alive” and the overly basic “Metropolis” get dull by the end despite the clever lyricism behind them all.
On the first listen I was ready to write this album off, especially after the aforementioned “Metropolis.” However, just as I was ready to give up, the one-two punch of “Nikki” and the title track came up. “Nikki” is one of the more heartfelt songs on Under Pressure, as Logic writes a heart breaking love song to nicotine over a slow, distorted guitar-driven beat.
“Under Pressure,” though, blows “Nikki” out of the water with a subtle banger of a beat that samples Eazy-E’s “Eazy-Duz-It.” When the track starts out, “Work so much my greatest fear is I’mma die alone,” you can tell this song is about Logic, not just hip-hop. A little after the three minute mark, Logic drops the hard-hitting sample and starts rapping from the perspective of his family leaving voicemails for the young rapper. It’s here where Logic really starts showing his true form.
It’s this combination of “Nikki” and “Under Pressure” that finally show how good Logic is at being himself. Sure, there’s some originality on the sing-songy “I’m Gone” or the trippy “Bounce” and some higher-level lyrics like on “Gang Related” or “Soul Food.” But it all feels more rap than Logic.
To stay with the whole Kendrick comparison that seems to be following this release, Under Pressure is more Section .80 than it is g.k.m.c. However, if “Nikki” and “Under Pressure” prove anything, it’s that there’s a classic under this rapper’s belt. It’s just not this one.
