Logic: Under Pressure

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, primarily known by his stage name Logic, grew up in a poor and unstable family out of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Logic began rapping seriously at age 17, after he was kicked out of high school for cutting class, and incrementally gained attention through his lyrical style and natural talent. He received several offers from well know labels and rappers, like Nas, yet he didn’t want to be caught in the underfoot of such accomplished artists. Since 2011, he’s dropped 2 official mixtapes and his freshman album “Under Pressure,” with the help of Visionary and Def Jam. “Under Pressure,” a 15 track long memoir of Logic’s childhood and experience as a rapper, gives the listeners a sense of the life he led and continues to lead as his fan base, and wallet, expand. Logic’s main purpose of this album is to give people insight on the environment he grew up in, as well as build a basis on which to criticize modern society and the effect it has on a wide array of people. In Logic’s case, modern society is his experience with abusive or abused parents, and even the struggles of growing up in such poor conditions, influenced by socio-economic issues, like lack of schooling, poverty, and cultural racism. Through the experience of these things, primarily inflicted on him by his family, Logic has been handed the means to express his brutally honest opinions and thoughts about this unbelievable reality of living, which still exists in parts of the United States.

This part of his life, before the music success, was a large part of what makes "Bobby" Bryson Hall who he is today. In a "Complex" piece from June 2014, editorial producer Insanul Ahmed talks about Logic's difficult childhood in the suburbs of Gaithersburg, living in a household affected by substance abuse, racism, and relative poverty. In this same context, the culture of young rappers enduring dangerous and corrupt environments has been a commonality in the genre, and Logic has been through a lot to get to where he is today. Logic’s ascension to the top represents the American Dream and, being from the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia), it makes me proud, even as a stranger, to think that someone has come from such a difficult situation and turned it into something positive for himself. Logic brings so much to the table for hip-hop and has created his own vibe through his music.



Granted, I am a pretty big advocate and fan of Logic's, and I think he is a huge asset to the rap community. Thematically, Logic hones in on topics that many other rappers do today, but for this fact he is grouped with all the other artists who grow up like that. What separates Logic and what really defines his music is his lyricism and his natural ability to spit bars. I highly encourage you to listen to this album and actually hear how he can spit. One of the tracks that really captures this talent is "Metropolis" and how he is able to rap fast while also integrating incredible lines and themes, like this section of the first verse: "And I'm feeling it uh, hope when I'm forty I'm still in it, One of the few that will be killing it uh, Yeah, young motherfucker that be giving what he living, On the road to success you know that I'm driven." He talks about how he hopes to continue his career and hopeful success throughout his life, while just completely spitting the words on this really sick beat going on in the background.

 Continuing this analysis, what makes this album special in terms of hip-hop is the means by which Logic molds his lyrics into concrete claims and statements. Most of the tracks highlight his family’s struggles in the lower class as an effect of addiction and neglect. In “Soul Food,” he mentions how his mom was on drugs and his dad was nowhere to be found, when all he wanted to do was be a kid and play. I imagine that a kid who had/has to deal with a situation like this would have to mature much quicker than his or her peers, and from what it seems Logic had to do this at an even younger age, after his siblings got involved in drugs. In line with the theme of addiction, the name Nikki gets thrown around a lot, similarly to how Kendrick Lamar had “Sherane” in “good kid, m.A.A.d city.” The difference here is that Nikki isn’t a person. Nikki refers to nicotine, cigarettes, which impacted Logic rather hard, all brought up in his song “Nikki.” The reference arises in some of his other tracks, but these all solidify a dependency on something negative: a crutch for the difficulties that impacted him throughout his upbringing. Drugs are a consistent representation of bad choices, as well as being a way for someone to tolerate a loss or hardship. Logic’s perspective of these substances is cloudy, from his own grasp on nicotine to talking about his sister’s pill problem in the track “Under Pressure.” In Logic’s eyes, the choices people make in regards to their bodies have varying results, but to heal from those addictions, you have to accept it yourself and recognize that it’s an issue. His parents, especially his father didn’t realize their mistakes and didn’t change in time to help those around them.

           The abandonment that his parents brought into his life returns and is a precedent in the albums title song, “Under Pressure.” The track is 9 minutes long, and it is a description of all of his stress as a rapper and person. Logic spits about his past, using real voice recordings from his brother and father, while also talking about his current situation and how much pressure there is for him to succeed. I find this intriguing because this is one of the only things Logic has ever really committed to in his life, and he learned this on his own. The hook of this song hints that he hopefully will be able to commit to bigger and better things in the future. The hook essentially says that he fears he’ll never find someone else to be with because he’s working on his craft all the time. He wants to be a part of a family; to get a second chance for a positive and promising life, and one of the things that is holding him back is the pressure of the job. This happens often these days because the cultural belief is that the harder you work, the farther you’ll get yourself. Like Logic says, he feels “Buried Alive,” even as he admits that it’s “just in [his] mind.” Logic internalizes his feelings, at least before his career as a rapper, and this album is almost the big reveal of his emotions and pressures.


When someone comes out from the underground of hip-hop, there is usually good reason, and Logic is no exception. Without considering his background for a moment, he really is a special artist, with talent that has been matched and even raised above big names, like Kendrick Lamar. This isn't how the genre works though: similar to what J Cole says in Forest Hills Drive, there isn't a pedestal for rappers to clamber onto. The music style is meant to be even, and logic is earning his place amongst those who have done great things for the culture that is hip-hop. His sophomore album is dropping within the next few months (November), and I look forward to seeing all that Logic brings to the table, after putting himself out to the world in "Under Pressure."