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57. Under Pressure - Logic (2014)

Hip Hop

Logic embodies countless classical hip hop archetypes. He’s been an outcast since day one. He’s small in stature and has a pip-squeaky quality, that surely brought him a healthy amount of shit growing up. Following in the footsteps of other lyrical savants like Eminem, he made lemonade out of a difficult upbringing and carefully crafted a truly next-level delivery style out of his natural rapping ability. Under Pressure is Logic hitting his stride, feeling in his element after testing the waters with a number of moderately successful mixtapes. 

There’s a sense of getting down to business prevalent throughout Under Pressure, and the urgency leads to the formation of some serious diamonds. The title track finds Logic pondering the possibility of dying alone as a result of the isolation his passion necessitates, while acknowledging the extravagant life that same passion may likely afford him. As with all of his endeavors, the one-two punch of Logic’s insightful lyrics and technical, breakneck delivery command your attention, with slick production assists from the likes of 6ix and Jake One setting the tone. Aside from the perhaps ill-advised recurring interludes from “Nikki” the narrator, the album plays much like a classic hip hop album with few frills and few features and confidently asserts that the poetry of rap is still alive and well.

*image; cover art for the album Under Pressure by the artist Logic