The Early Stages of Logic
On January 22, 1990, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, a man who carries the stage name “Logic” was born in Rockville, Maryland. He is a retired American rapper, songwriter, streamer, author, and record producer. His father, Robert Bryson Hall, was an African-American Maryland native who suffered from drug addiction and his white alcoholic mother was verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive to her children.
Logic grew up in poverty with seven half-siblings. They lived in Section 8 housing, they were on food stamps, they used welfare, and they had to work with social services to be able to stay in their home.
Although Logic put in an effort to go to school, he didn’t graduate due to missing too many classes in his tenth-grade year. His grades started to decline in every class except for English, so he was expelled.
During his adolescent years, Logic witnessed his brothers produce and distribute crack cocaine around the neighborhood. When MTV interviewed him he stated, “My mother got stabbed, she was raped, she tried to choke me to death as a child. I can’t even begin to explain the tormenting feeling of living in my household: constant screaming, death-curdling screams, arguments between my mom and other men, her getting her f–king ass-whooped.
At times, there was blood all over the kitchen and f–king floor.” Logic came from a family that would have been a nightmare for most, but he still manages to talk about his family members with as much love as you might expect from someone who had a ‘easy’ upbringing.
The Beginning of a Career
When Logic was only 13-years-old he met Solomon Taylor, the man who would become his mentor. Logic watched Kill Bill: Volume 1, directed by the American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor, Quentin Tarantino. The film’s score was produced by Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and the sound really pulled Logic in.
He started listening to the Wu-Tang Clan and his interest in Hip Hop began to grow. Solomon Taylor saw that Logic was gaining interest in Hip Hop and brought him several CD’s containing instrumental beats so that Logic could try his hand at writing lyrics over the sound. According to RapTV.com Logic has been quoted as saying, “I love music and I am going to continue to make music on my own. I can’t just make music. It’s a journal for me. It’s how I express myself.”
In 2009 Logic decided to start performing and he took on the pseudonym “Psychological”. He stated that he had always felt a kinship to the word due to the fact that he wanted to write music that made other people think; he wanted to make music that could “change the mind.” He released an unofficial mixtape titled “Psychological- Logic: The Mixtape” and this was his foot in the door to opening for Pitbull, EPMD, Method Man, Redman, and Ludacris at different shows all over the state of Maryland. Once he started gaining popularity, he shortened his pseudonym Psychological to Logic, and he stuck with the name throughout his career.
Logic released his first official mixtape, “Young, Broke, & Infamous” in 2010. It was hailed as an achievement by critics and it boosted his popularity to the point that Logic could recognize that he had a ‘following’.
Visionary Music Group signed Logic due to the success of his mixtape and he went on to put out his second official mixtape, “Young Sinatra” in 2011. “Young Sinatra” received all high marks from the critics and since it did so well, Logic went on to put out his third mixtape, “Young Sinatra: Undeniable” in 2012.
In this mixtape Logic got very personal delving deep into his experiences watching his father fall further into drug use, his mother getting stabbed, and his expulsion from High School. After the release of Young Sinatra: Undeniable, Logic completed his first national headlining tour, the Visionary Music Group Tour
Moving Up in the Business
In 2013 Logic was featured as part of the “Freshman Class” in XXL, alongside Travis Scott, Trinidad James, Dizzy Wright, Action Bronson, Joey Badass, Angel Haze, Ab-Soul, Chief Keef, Kirko Bangz, and Schoolboy Q.
When asked about his process, Logic told XXL, “As much time and effort, emotion, anger, love, joy that you put into another human being, you’re not guaranteed to receive that back. And that’s OK. That’s alright. But I took all of those things and put it into my music. And I realized everything I put into my music, I get back. Every hour, day, month, year. I get it back. I don’t party. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. None of that shit. And it’s not because I don’t like it. It’s because I’d rather make the sacrifice now. I could go to some parties now, or I could wait and party with Kanye and Jay in a couple of years. That’s how I see it.”
According to RapTV.com, “What is fun about the XXL Freshman Class list is that these artists have all emerged on the hip hop scene at about the same time and so tracking their careers moving forward becomes competitive.”
Logic put forth the effort to win the pretend competition when he completed a European tour and confirmed another mixtape was on the way in Springtime 2013. After his fourth mixtape, “Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever” was released on May 7th 2013, Logic announced he was headlining a second national tour called the Welcome to Forever Tour. His mixtape was critically acclaimed and it was readily pointed out by the critics that Logic’s style and skill had grown a lot in a very short amount of time.
In 2015 Logic signed with Def Jam Recordings. He was excited for the opportunity to take a huge vertical leap up in the business and he was very vocal about how humbled he felt by working with the iconic Hip Hop label. Throughout the Fall of 2013 Logic toured with other Def Jam stars Kid Cudi, Big Sean, and Tylor the Creator on “The Cud Life Tour 2013.”
In November of 2013 Logic announced that No I.D., Hit-Boy, 6ix, and C-Sick would be producing his debut album from Def Jam Recordings. In February of 2014 Logic announced his impending tour with EDM band Krewella as part of the 2014 Verge Campus Spring Tour.
In April, Logic released “Now” and “Alright” which had been scheduled to feature on an upcoming EP called “While You Wait”. Technically the EP wasn’t released as a whole, but it was released as single songs. “Finding Forever” released in May and “Driving Ms. Daisy”, featuring Childish Gambino, was released in August.
Albums and Recognition
On October 21st, 2014 Logic released his debut studio album with Def Jam Recordings named “Under Pressure”. Logic dedicated the song “Nikki” to the fact that he was dealing with an addiction to cigarettes.
He started smoking at 13-years-old and wasn’t able to give up the habit until 2014. He made a promise to quit smoking by the time he released “Under Pressure”.The album hit number 4 on the Billboard 200. On November 12th, 2014 Logic went on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and performed “ I’m Gone” with The Roots, DJ Rhetorik, and 6ix.
On September 8th Logic announced his second studio album was coming out in Fall of 2015. He called it a “motion picture sci-fi epic”. The story would be set 100 years in the future on an Earth that is no longer inhabitable due to human overconsumption. The main characters travel to a planet called Paradise and as they travel they play “The Incredible True Story.”
The characters Quentin Thomas, William Kai, and Thalia use the album as a backing track to the queries they have on life, often contemplating the point of finding Paradise, and what it will hold should they arrive. During the journey, they enter into the vicinity of another ship, and out of the norm situation due to the Aquarius III being one of the only remaining ships in current space travel.
Thomas soon instructs Thalia to hack the computer system, before she stumbles upon a damaged audio distress signal located in its interface. Upon opening the signal, it details Christopher Smith, a pilot from Aquarius I, in his final hours, warning future travelers to suspend their journey and to return to their beginning location. Despite being upset by the message, Thomas says the Aquarius III should continue forward on its journey. They arrive on a planet with similar conditions to what they were searching for and leave the ship. The album concludes with the trio successfully landing on Paradise.
“The Incredible True Story” surpassed his debut album on the Billboard 200 and was the second commercial release to receive glowing recognition from the critics. The album topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number one, and Logic announced The Incredible World Tour, taking place in spring 2016.
After the conclusion of The Incredible World Tour Logic and rapper G-Eazy said they would be co-headlining The Endless Summer Tour together in summer 2016. Two weeks ahead of the start of the tour, Logic released the song, “Flexicution” which featured his then-wife Jessica Andrea as backing vocals; it peaked at 100 on the Billboard 200. Logic featured on the song “Sucker for Pain” from the Suicide Squad soundtrack alongside Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Ty Dolla Sign, and X Ambassadors; it peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. On July 1, 2016, Logic released his fifth mixtape unexpectedly titled Bobby Tarantino. The mixtape was his first since 2013 and was released through his Twitter. The mixtape peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200.
On October 3, 2016 Logic announced the original name of his next studio album to be “AfricAryan”, but in March of 2017 he revealed the new name of his album to be “Everybody”. “Everybody” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Logic would later announce his sixth mixtape titled :Bobby Tarentino II”. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. In September 2018 Logic released another studio album titled “YSIV”.
The album has a song called “Wu-Tang Forever” which features all the surviving members of the Wu-Tang Clan. He later announced that he was writing a novel and had written a movie in which he plans to fill the leading role.
In 2019 Logic released the novel “SuperMarket” along with a soundtrack. He became a New York Times’ number one best selling author, but the soundtrack missed the mark and only made it up to the 56 spot on the Billboard 200. Logic released his 5th studio album in May of 2019 called “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”; it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making it his third album to reach the top of the chart.
On July 24, 2020 Logic released his final album called “No Pressure” and announced that he will be retiring from the music industry. According to RapTV.com, even though it comes with an announcement for retirement, “No Pressure” is a solid album.
A Personal Life Worth Fighting For
On October 22, 2015 Logic married his girlfriend of two years and fellow singer, Jessica Andrea. In March of 2018 a joint statement was released announcing their separation on Logic’s social media which stated, “After two years of marriage, we have come to the loving conclusion that we are much better as friends. As entertainers, we have made every aspect of our lives public, yet we would appreciate your respect and privacy on this issue. It’s very simple: it just didn’t work out. There is no anger involved. No fighting, no cheating, no nothing. We love each other and will continue to support each other for the rest of our lives.” Logic married Brittney Noell in September 2019.
On July 27th, 2020 Logic announced that he will be moving his family out West to begin the newest chapter of their life. He gave the announcement in the form of a music video for “DadBod.” Logic seems to be laughing at himself a little when he delivers lyrics about his love for changing diapers.
You can hear him drop lyrics on the music video regarding the new lifestyle, “Used to be up to date on that rap political s–t, But nowadays I’m up to my elbows, And every single inch of my body in my baby’s s–t… ” He makes it quite clear that he is happy to put his musical career aside so that he can take on his new life as a father. Although Logic has announced his retirement, this only means that he no longer plans on making music his career and his priority. Hopefully, we will still see some more music from him in the future.
Now, that Logic has found his happy ending, anything additional would be the icing on the cake.
External Links:
https://www.xxlmag.com/2013-freshmen/logic/
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