The Scene

Logic is one of the more unique artists in the world of hip hop, let alone music. The rapper from Maryland, Baltimore built up underground fandom through a laundry list of stories and skills on the mic that are second to none before being snapped up by Def Jam and dropping 'Under Pressure' last year. 

It wasn't long before Logic jumped back on to the horse, gifting us with 'The Incredible True Story' which is a fairly epic musical project as far as modern albums go. One of the main themes I have found while writing about hip hop albums over the past few years has been the throwback to what we all loved about old school albums. The digital age appeared to ruin the album, yet artists have gone back to the future as they serve up albums that come together in cohesion and have plenty for the nerds like me to sink our teeth into. 

TITS (as it's known?) takes the crown as an album with an over-arching story while the music weaves in and out of that story. I won't spoil the whole story but it's set in the distant future when Earth has been ravaged by humans to the point where it is no longer fit to be home to its inhabitants, everything else is left for you to figure out. The joy of this album is that you can and should listen to it in sequence, but each song stands alone and you can enjoy each song without the context of the overall story. 

The Songs

1.  Contact - And we're off! "Listen to oldies like Logic".
2. Fade Away - Remember Logic when he fades away, or when your escaping Earth in the future.
3. Upgrade - Upgrading on the sophmore album
4. White people - Fuckin' white people aye.
5. Like woah - Sexy use of a flute
6. Young Jesus ft. Big Lenbo - Think Logic wrote Lenbo's raps, but it's all good.
7. Innermission - Smart rapper with stories and vibes.
8. I Am The Greatest - Jacking the Drake flow?
9. The Cube - Gets all the bitches.
10. Lord Willin - "If I was underground before then this is me in the attic"
11. City Of Stars - Get ya singing on yo.
12. Stainless - Still got the street shit
13. Babel - We're destroying the planet guys.
14. Paradise - Rewind this a few times.
15. Never Been - Get up off your ass and work.
16. Run it - Constant fire.
17. Lucidity - Are we free? 
18. The Incredible True Story - Epic wisdom throughout this.

The Vibe

Understandably - as the album is set far off in the future - there is a futuristic vibe to TITS which also serves up many eerie metaphors. This starts with the fact that the main characters are leaving Earth because it's been run into the ground and if you don't really enjoy good vibes/open minded thinking then you may struggle to enjoy the vibe of this album. 

Regardless of whether you appreciate the message or not, Logic's skill as a rapper is undeniable. That's where I've found pleasure in listening to TITS as there's different layers to enjoy it and if you're after bars and stories of the highest quality, then you'll be happy. It's uplifting, there we go, it's uplifting and I found myself listening to this album and enjoying the motivation seeping through my ears. There's positive messages throughout, which come in a highly entertaining listening experience as Logic serves up flows, word-play and rhyme schemes that keep your ear intrigued as to what he's going to say next. 

The Music

One of the joys of listening to Logic is the music he raps over and the fact that just like his rhymes, you never know what's coming around the corner. Logic says 'I can rap over anything from Preemo to that trap shit' showing off his versatility and you'd be silly to doubt him as he's able to tell stories and serve up machine-gun bars over any beat put in front of him. Logic gets production credits on 10 songs and when you consider that these production credits come alongside well known producers like DJ Khalil, Tae Beast and C-Sick, it's clear that Logic has more than merely spitting bars on his mind. 

Leading the producers is Logic's in-house producer at Visionary Music 6ix who is behind eight of 18 songs and skits. 6ix along with the other producers serve up a variety of sounds for Logic to explore, from the slower 'I Am The Greatest' to the flute-laced 'Like Woah' and then the excessively mellow 'Innermission'. 

Yeah, I woke up early on my born, 25, it's a blessing
Progression, everyday lessons got me stressing
But I'm testing, reminiscing when I would listen to my intuition
And now I made it, resurrecting, Young Sinatra I created, I'm elated
It seem like everyone's somehow related
Letters back and forth from my homie that's locked up in prison
Doing 14, it's been 5, I know my heart's with him
I've been so busy, it feel like forever since I hit him, man
I think about how I wasn't shit when he went in
What if the tables was turned and I was the one that been in, damn
He said he's seen me in the magazine
He said he's seen me on Fallon and Kimmel
That's been my dog from the kennel - Innermission

Anything but lazy, I can't sleep
Cause if I do, there's another motherfucker wide awake on the creep
Tryna kill you and he will too
We livin' like civilized people, but far from equal
I hope I live a long life and get to see my sequel
My son, my seed
Watch 'em grown and then watch 'em lead
Let me proceed, bumpin' that that Californication, by the Red Hot
Fuck around and then hit 'em with a red dot
Y'all better not me fuckin' with me
Who, him? Yeah, me, I be the God MC - Paradise

Feelin' like Matthew Mcconaughey on a Interstellar mission in Chicago at the bottom of the Riviera
I wonder who I would be if I wasn't in my era
I got a berretta for people but I take care of the people when I jump in the cockpit and rock it
Been done, had this in my pocket
I had to wait to unlock it
Open that locket and see the picture I painted
No we ain't never aquainted
On the rise like a defendant
That was charged with possession like an exorcism
My division is solely my vision, God damn - Run It

Finale

Logic currently sits outside your discussion about the best rappers in the game and doesn't quite share the same room (by public consensus) as the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Earl Sweatshirt. However, Logic is building an impressive CV of work that has substance matched by high levels of skill and entertainment. Listing to The Incredible True Story will leave you with plenty to think about, whether it's thinking about yourself, our planet, the way we act towards each other and it does all this while keeping your head noddin' and your finger on the rewind button. 

Listen to The Incredible True Story however you want as it really doesn't matter, just listen to it and give it some time to simmer in that little brain of yours.