By: Alex Bloom
The Incredible True Story (2015)
Logic is certainly a talented rapper, but what stands out to me is this album’s ability to tell a story. The opening track, “Contact,” sets the scene for the album with an epic sound, culminating in an audio clip establishing the two main characters of the rest of the skits. From then on, the album is punctuated by bouts of dialogue between two space travellers, who are taking part in humanity’s search for a new planet after rendering earth inhospitable. The album itself is part of the catalogue of Earth’s greatest music that humanity managed to save before setting off into space, and the listener gets to experience the music with the two travellers and their AI computer. It has some songs that are great on their own such as “Like Woah” or “Fade Away,” while the song “Paradise” coupled with the skit “Babel” will have you pondering the meaning of life. This album is an auditory experience; it’s an incredible story, and one day it just might become true.
Bobby Tarantino II (2018)
This trap-inspired mixtape picks up where Bobby Tarantino I left off, showing us a different side of Logic than we tend to see in his albums. As emphasized by Rick and Morty’s Rick Sanchez in the mixtape’s opening skit, “Grandpa’s Space Ship,” there are two different Logics: “Album Logic” and “Mixtape Logic.” Rick goes on to say that Logic has “a plethora of music that varies from mood to mood” when he doesn’t want to hear something with a message, and he just wants to “turn some shit up,” he wants “some of that Bobby Tarantino shit.” The opening skit sums up this mixtape perfectly; it’s a selection of music meant for having fun, not necessarily for helping you reach enlightenment. Overall the production is amazing, and Logic is always on top of his game in terms of delivery. A lot of tracks, however, sound the same, and most of them are unoriginal, crass, brag rap — so don’t expect the same lyricism or depth that Logic brought with The Incredible True Story. That said, this mixtape has a couple unforgettable tracks on it like “Indica Badu” and “Warm It Up,” so it can’t be dismissed completely.
Verdict
While The Incredible True Story isn’t an album I would put on at a party, it is an album that I will always remember for its originality, and its thought-provoking themes. Bobby Tarantino II, on the other hand, is pretty hit-and-miss, but mostly miss. Logic has different music to suit different moods, but I have to say, I like “Album Logic” a lot more.