Part of Logic’s appeal relies on his transparency around mental health struggles, regularly sharing narratives about not feeling accepted in the world, and especially in hip-hop. He’s a mixed-race, self-proclaimed comic book nerd who can solve a Rubik’s Cube while freestyling, a boom-bap-loving thirtysomething vying for relevancy in the age of plugg and trap. Naturally, his brand of earnest, wife-guy rap has its supporters and detractors. Joe Budden called him “one of the worst rappers to ever grace a mic”; Ellen DeGeneres labeled him “the voice of his generation.” In 2020, Logic retired from rap to remove himself “from a bunch of negativity” and to focus on being a dad.
He announced his return in the most Logic way possible: By mimicking Michael Jordan’s “I’m back” press release. Like his music, the announcement was derivative and took itself too seriously. (He never really left, either; in his 11-month absence, he released music under an alias, Doc D, and regularly streamed on Twitch.) His first post-retirement project, the 2021 mixtape Bobby Tarantino III, leaned into some of his least compelling qualities: deriding modern rap trends while simultaneously imitating them; hyping up his wife’s hotness; promoting mental health awareness with the directness of a PSA announcement. He’s released 15 projects in 12 years, wrote a novel, retired, unretired, and now he’s ready to show us something new. But what would a good Logic project even sound like nowadays?
His seventh studio album, Vinyl Days, is his strongest project in years. The beats here are the best Logic’s ever rapped on—most of the production is handled by longtime producer 6ix and Logic himself—and his rapping is as technically electrifying as ever. Logic can rap, and rap well, and he showcases this skill ad nauseum on Vinyl Days, which is 30 tracks long. Absent are the forays into ska-rock and Trippie Redd trap; present are the odes to Madlib, J Dilla, and DJ Premier. Just look at the guest list: Action Bronson, RZA, Curren$y, Royce Da 5'9", AZ. Vinyl Days is a YouTube playlist of Funkmaster Flex freestyles, dudes gripping the mic and flaunting an elite arsenal of bars. It’s impressive and tiring, but it nonetheless highlights the reason why Logic’s so famous in the first place: He’s a really good rapper, and, resultantly, has earned the respect of some other really good rappers.