In the height of the pandemic in July of 2020, Logic released his seventh studio rap album No Pressure while announcing on Instagram that he is retiring.
“It’s been a great decade. Now it’s time to be a great father.” Logic told his thousands of instagram followers.
As one of Logic’s biggest fans I was saddened to see that he was hanging up the microphone and would no longer be releasing any more music. However, I was overjoyed at the opportunity to hear more of his music.
Where Logic’s first album, Under Pressure, explored his upbringing, No Pressure celebrates feeling free to express his more relaxed approach to music.
No pressure is the sequel to his diamond debut album Under Pressure. Under Pressure was about Logic’s upbringing growing up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Hitting a really touchy topic about his family’s issues, how he needs to stand out, and how he is a workaholic who will beat out anyone who stands in his way.
No Pressure’s theme was that he isn’t under any stress to prove to anyone that he needs to make it in the rap game. He just wants to rap, be his own person, and most importantly be there for his newborn kid.
No other song embraces this motto more than Dadbod. Which is a very clever, whitty song. Talking about how he’s a new dad and isn’t involved in the rap game like he used to be years ago. My favorite lyrics from this song is:
“I could tell you more about diapers than modern rappers in cyphers.”
This shows that Logic is more worried about his kids, than worrying about what other rappers are doing.
Another standout song is Celebration which talks about how he has finally made it and just wants to celebrate all he has accomplished.
One of my favorite lines is “ I get under people’s skin like stitches.” This expresses how different he was from the rap game, and how people were bothered that he did so good.
The song also has the only feature on the album with rapper Silas, rapping,“I can’t front, we was hyped up for some nosebleeds, Now we sitting courtside, still posted in my white tee.”
Showing how Logic and Silas are still the same people, no matter how much money or fame they have.
For an album to be great, it needs a great intro and outro. No one did it better than logic on No Pressure Intro, which comes with hard hitting bars, and creative rhymes.
The outro, “Obediently Yours”, uses a sample from the July 28, 1946 episode of Welles’s Orson Welles Commentaries. Many listeners praised the usage of samples from Welles, including his commentary on the Isaac Woodard case.
Beatrice Welles, his youngest daughter, said that she “was pleased with the final product and thrilled that her father’s message on racism from 76 years ago has struck a chord with a younger audience”.
Logic’s “retirement” album was one to remember and brings back quarantine memories. I could talk about this album for hours and a variety of bars that Logic says. Logic would eventually come out of retirement 13 months later. Just taking a break instead of fully retiring. I would rate this album a 9/10.
