Logic - Under Pressure (2014)
Finally we reach the point in his discography where he's released a studio album, and I'd honestly consider it an admirable effort, but it's still just.. Fuck, dude. His influences are worn too proudly on his sleeves, because a lot of these songs feel so incredibly "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City" influenced to the point where several of these songs, like "Buried Alive" might as well be Kendrick Lamar songs, and the title track of this album feels too much "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst", and if you want to go even further, "Metropolis" features the SAME FUCKING SAMPLE that the Kendrick Lamar song I just listed does! Sure, there's a few songs on here that are pretty alright, like "Gang Related" and "Growing Pains III" that see Logic tackling several serious issues relating to his life, and he talks a lot about a girl named Nikki on this album (spoiler alert: it turns out to be nicotine) but everything is so fucking on-the-nose and unsubtle that the big reveal is seen from a mile away. Remember when Atmosphere did the SAME FUCKING SONG CONCEPT on a track on "When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold"? That was fucking great because you probably genuinely didn't see it coming, but when Logic's rapping about this "girl" giving him black lungs.. Please. On the production side of things, the majority of the beats on this album are pretty bland jazz-rap shit that don't do anything for me. As an album as a whole, sure, Logic can flex his flows in some pretty entertaining ways, but fuck, dude, tone down on the influences and find your own path that Childish Gambino, Drake, or Kendrick Lamar didn't already pave for you. Hell, it's not even a path they paved: Get the fuck out of their driveways.
6/10
________________________________________________________
Feel free to check out the song previews/buy this album using my Amazon Associate link!
