Mixtapes

Logic is a young rapper we’ve had on the radar for a couple years now, but he recently really came into the spotlight when he was selected as a member of the XXL Freshman Class of 2013. We had the honor of doing an interview with Logic back in 2011, at which point he told us the following:

“In five years I see myself 2 studio albums in with a cult following all over the world and on the cusp of a successful acting career.” – Logic[Quote from 2011 Interview with Sunset in the Rearview]

Well it’s 2013, so it’s been two years, and he’s a lot closer to that goal than he was when he originally said it in 2011. He made the XXL Freshman Class list and he signed a deal with Def Jam Records. This release of Welcome to Forever is his fourth mixtape in just as many years, and it puts him much closer to his goal than where he was just days ago. In the opening track, “Welcome to Forever,” Logic shows off his rhyming skills and brushes off the haters who don’t believe in him just because of his skin tone. He makes a ballsy move on the third track by spitting over Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” instrumental, but he kills it. He tells us about his upbringing, from the days of eating off food stamps to being the white kid who’s denied attention because he appears to be white. He lets us know in “5AM” that though you wouldn’t know it from appearance, he’s half black, but is that supposed to make him a better rapper? Are we still judging based on skin tone alone?

In all honesty, I think it still influences what I think about a rapper before I listen to anything. It’s ridiculous, but I can’t deny a hint of truth in that. But after listening to Logic, it’s hard to tell much of a difference between his voice and J. Cole’s.

That said, I don’t think the mixtape is perfect. A song like “Break It Down” doesn’t do anything for me. It’s one of those songs about getting high that really doesn’t have much more of a purpose, in my opinion. It’s fluff that could have been cut out because I think the mixtape is already too long at 20 songs. “Life Is Good” is another one that doesn’t appeal to me. It’s a story about how he’s got it good these days, but Logic…remember where you came from, man. I understand that you’re telling a story as you go through the mixtape, but you’re still a young buck who just got signed. It’s all relative, man. Overall, I think Logic sounds better over some thicker production than he does over the minimal beats, because he’s more of a straight spitter than a harmonic addition to a minimal instrumental.

Oh and one last thing. I’ll echo Logic (in “5AM”): shout out to his homies Chance and Skizzy Mars.

came a long way from eating with goverment-gave permission/ if you think these lyrics aint deep, you too stupid to listen/ just an outcast with a mission that spits at whoever listens, bitch it’s logic - Roll Call

Download “Welcome to Forever”

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