Logic
No Pressure

Release Date: 2020 | Tracklist

When you hear the headline of, “so and so in hip-hop is leaving music”, it is not a believable statement. After all, have you ever heard of a major hip-hop artist just walking away and going through with it? It’s a move unheard of because, nobody simply just “leaves the game”. Nicki Minaj said last year on social media she was to leave, only to retract it days later. Jay-Z claimed retirement after the release of his classic “The Black Album” in 2004, only to return two years later with “Kingdom Come”. Eminem claimed the same thing after “Encore” released that same year, only to resume 5 years later with “Relapse”. The reality is, once you make it in hip-hop, it’s tight grasp is clung onto you forever - for life until death. That narrative might be at an end however, as Maryland rapper Logic has announced his exit for family life, and by everything said of it, he means it. With the release of his final project “No Pressure”, he brings his entire career full circle.

Where things start is where it also comes to an end, and that’s what No Pressure stands upon. His 2014 debut predecessor, “Under Pressure”, was laced in grimy sounds and versatile lyricism that molded together to Bobby’s telling of his Gaithersburg upbringing. His final one does justice to find the same footing, saturated in layered, organic, sample-heavy production and his best in years. Logic finds himself in a spiritual sit-down with God in “Hit My Line”, a blushful, piano-driven plea mirrored with booming bass, ended by Thalia’s narration; the “AI” that’s appeared in nearly every album since his first. The woozy “Man I Is” is also another call-back to his debut’s impact. Pillared by pompous horns, and a drum line reminiscent of “Metropolis” from UP, it’s prime Logic at his finest. Not to mention, being able to utilize the actual Alkebulan sample that he was meant to use in Under Pressure’s “Soul Food”, he propelled it to a grander scale in the sequel “Soul Food II”, Logic’s hardest lyrical performance in years. It’s all in debt to the leadership of 6ix and rap figure No I.D, who took role as executive producer as before in Logic’s debut. Their teamwork makes this flawless, versatile, and a throwback that certain listeners, who disapproved of the artificial production from years past, will certainly approve.

Finishing after the listening party on gaming platform Twitch, Logic took a moment to shed some tears at its end, because the final stanza to conclude No Pressure truly deem it his swan song. The Kanye-esque tearjerker "Heard ‘Em Say”, is a confession letter to not conforming to hip-hop's standards, and becoming his brand of “Peace, Love & Positivity”. Driven by emotive, summery piano, piercing synthesizer, and brutal, down-to-earth lyricism that is amongst one of Logic’s honest yet. It’s emotional in the sense that he’s fought to become a rapper that radiates positivity and just being himself, proclaiming, “I rather be hated for who I am/than loved for who I’m not/give a f*** if it’s hot!”. Then, he preaches it to the choir with a heartfelt, gospel-like tribute to the fans in “Amen”. Finally, Bobby concludes his career with a beautiful farewell in “Obediently Yours”, a chilling, piano-led, Orsen Welles-narrated interlude that serve as the “passing of the torch” to the next generation to create change in society.

While there are minor bumps on the road, such as the whimsical “Perfect”, this excellent conclusion to Logic’s polarizing career finishes where it started. To some, this is redemption, for an artist whose garnered criticism from fans and listeners of the genre alike with projects in COADM and Supermarket. But for others, it is merely a coronation of what has been one of hip-hop's biggest risers in the last decade. All sparked by one of the all-time great mixtape runs ever, in an age when Datpiff was at its peak. It is to be determined down the road whether Bobby is truly done with hip-hop, or taking an extended sabbatical to raise his new family. Like mentioned before, the game doesn’t really ever leave you. But this looks to be really it, and No Pressure is the grand finale that gives closure to a Maryland rapper’s story of struggle and his triumph. Nothing can ever take that away from him. Welcome to the rest of your life, and welcome to forever.

Tweet

Recent reviews by this author
Logic Bobby Tarantino III	DMX Exodus
Nas King’s Disease	Pop Smoke Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Raleigh Ritchie Andy	G-Eazy Everything's Strange Here

user ratings (103)

rate it Awful - 1 Very Poor - 1.5 Poor - 2 Average - 2.5 Good - 3 Great - 3.5 Excellent - 4 Superb - 4.5 Classic - 5

3.1 good