Logic - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind ALBUM REVIEW

[Intro: Anthony Fantano & Cal Chuchesta]
Hi, everyone. Sadthony Facetano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd, and it is time for a review of the new Logic album, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

This is the latest full-length LP from Maryland rapper Logic, which comes shortly after the release of quite possibly his worst project yet, Supermarket, a soundtrack to a now best-selling book of the same title, and the 13 songs on this record see Logic trying his hand at acoustic balladry, indie pop, alternative rock, all of his attempts of which turn out pretty awful.

Oh yeah bro, I’m a big Logic fan, but even that album... To me... big cringe. So big cringe.

[Review: Anthony Fantano]
Well, look, in my opinion Logic has always been a rapper who has been punching under his weight, and I did see a lot of potential in his initial albums in his breakthrough mixtapes, the playful bars, the speedy flows, and the incredible versatility. But that versatility later just evolved into Logic's lack of an overall voice, as he just needed to copycat one sound, an idea, an artist after another in order to pad his projects out to full album or mixtape length. Pretty much every project he's dropped up until this point has at least a handful of songs that ride [Text-to-speech edited in:] on the coattails of Drake or J Cole or Kendrick. And there’s even a track off this new record where he has a flow and an inflection that feels like he's doing his best J.I.D impression. Like, if all these artists stopped putting out music tomorrow... What would Logic do? He would really have nowhere left to go. And yet, he has amassed this audience that just seems addicted to his mediocrity. In a way I guess you got to give it to the guy, because he's supremely good at taking better hip-hop pulling anything subversive out of it and refining it down for audiences that don't have the framework to understand why he's in a far lower creative tier than his contemporaries, who he blatantly rips off.

This downward trajectory that Logic has been on since projects like the Incredible True Story I thought was going to pick up after Supermarket. After all, how could he put out a worse album? And I guess in a way Confessions does jump over the bar... More, it just sort of just crawls over the bar. I guess the reason for that being the sound and the style of this record — with it just being a straightforward hip-hop album — is just
more in Logic's wheelhouse. He's definitely more in his element here, but I'm still at a loss with this album because as far as hip-hop records go, this is easily Logic’s worst, his most uninspired, his most unimpressive so far.

Multiple tracks on this album feature Logic endlessly complaining about how people online don’t like him. It's essentially Russ 2.0. Also, quite a few bars on this album with Logic feeling insecure about being called gay over social media. When Logic isn’t doing this he's flexing and delivering some bland braggadocio without much in the way of wit or wordplay. Tracks like these also come along with the narrow-minded belief that Logic made it just because he tried harder and he did the work, and, meanwhile, all the other artists out there and his haters are just lazy and they didn't do it, he did. Seems Logic thinks his success has nothing to do with his delivery of bland, inoffensive hip-hop for suburbanites, who think caring about real rap means that you listen to someone who raps fast... Even if, when they're rapping fast, they sound like crap because their words bleed together to the point where you can’t even really tell what they're saying.

On top of that, on this very album, unironically, Logic pretty much says that he he doesn't care about lyrics. He says it right here in these lyrics [Gestures to superimposed image.] on the track "Don't Be Afraid to Be Different." And, honestly, I have to agree... There is nothing impressive about Logic's pen-game on this record. In fact, I would say the lyrics on this album get downright awful when he's spitting about wanting to be bipolar because Kanye's bipolar, falsely thinking that maybe if — I guess — he had some sort of chemical imbalance he'd be creative, too. There's also the— the line on here about him having a biracial penis. There are quite a few bars on this thing I would much rather... Just like to forget. As soon as possible. But to go back to this lyric, where he's writing about not caring about lyrics, whatever "spirit" he's referring to feeling here in this couplet, I'm not feeling it. Not feeling it at all.

I'm not against the idea of a rapper — or an artist in any other genre — making music just for the feeling of it over the lyricism, but when you get down to brass tacks on certain tracks here, there's really nothing to feel because Logic picked generic instrumentals, totally half-assed the verses, half-assed the hooks — some of which are painfully repetitive, or he just spends his time goofing off to the point where he sounds ridiculous. The song "Icy," the song "Cocaine," the song "Keanu Reeves" — which in no way lyrically does it reference back to Keanu Reeves in a witty or creative way to justify the title and the hook of the song. The song "Limitless" as well. And, as I said earlier, when Logic isn't delivering these completely vapid, substanceless verses, he is just whining and crying about the things people say about him on the Internet: the song "Clickbait," the song "Wannabe." These bitter, annoying, gross tracks that see Logic portraying himself as — you know — just like dunking on his haters. And so on and so forth. But it's painfully apparent to anybody else listening outside that, "Wow. This, like, really gets to you, dude."

I'm serious; talk to someone who has some kind of emotional investment in you and unpack this stuff because it's coming out in your music in not the most healthy way. And yet, through his lyrics, it's Logic who would like for us to believe that it's his haters who have the unhealthy obsession. And I know Logic has haters, but I mean the dude's not that grating; he's not that controversial; he's not one of these 15-minutes-of-fame, social media rappers who rode in on a wave of hate. And, for whatever naysayers out there Logic does have, he has far far far more
fans. It just seems like Logic doesn't have any perspective on this stuff. Because, in reality, his haters are pretty much doing what they've always done, they're just talking trash. But, meanwhile, you're the one making yourself look ridiculous, investing so much time into responding to them — which is okay to some degree. And I hate that I'm talking about this topic this much in a music review, but really — like — logic makes it difficult to get around because it's a prime focus to this album.

Considering this, the album cover itself makes sense when you look at Logic: skin melting, skeleton coming
out, and he's holding a friggin phone. The phone being the source of that hatred, the social media, the drama, the [Babbling:] blalalalala. Though, I mean, there are points on here where he brings up the biracial thing, as if he's just trying to trigger those haters. [Sarcastically:] Oh they go crazy when he says he's biracial, so "I'm gonna say it!" Oh, the mad lad. He did it. I can't believe it.

I guess what's even more disappointing than all of this that I've been talking about so far are the features on this record. There's a totally pointless Wiz Khalifa appearance on here where — it's not even a really
Wiz's fault. Logic goes so friggin hard on the flow and the tone of this song, to the point where — you know Wiz is coming up — but... Why would you put him on a track like this? You know he's just going to come on to the song rapping slow, sounding high out of his mind. That's what he does. If you have a stoner anthem or just kind of a chill laid-back on your record, put him there. That makes sense. Gucci Mane seems to have showed up for the check. Really phoned it in on this one. Putting G-Eazy and Logic on a track together seems to be the musical equivalent of taking a slice of Wonder Bread putting another slice of Wonder Bread on top and just biting in. And Will Smith — surprisingly enough — turns up on the back end of this record with a cringy introduction referencing back to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme; as the verse progresses, he reminds us why his rap career is essentially over at this point... That Misfits shout-out, though... That Misfits shout-out. Good job, Jaden. Pep-pep is proud of you. Logic's own father appears at the very end of the song "Bobby" where he just rants and raves about Logic's naysayers and his haters and so on and so forth. He literally brought his dad on to his record to stand up for him.

One more thing I should mention while I'm talking about the features on this record is the Eminem appearance on the song "Homicide," which was a teaser track to this album. And, while I thought Eminem's performance on this cut was pretty entertaining, all I can really say about the song overall is that it turned out better than I thought it would have been, given the level of quality that Logic's and Eminem's music recently has has been at.

I'm just tired of this. I'm just tired. This was obnoxious. This was awful. And what's even more terrible is that it was unlikable. It was— it was sad. Because being "likable" and being "that friendly, approachable, relatable kid who's kind of above it all" [and] being "that everyman that you wanted to root for even if his music was just okay"... That was what was essentially keeping me in Logic's corner up until this point. But now, that... That attitude is just gone, now. He just seems way too focused and obsessed and butthurt over irrelevant crap, and I don't know what to say. All of his belly-aching over the sliver of people who don't like him doesn't translate in anything compelling or worthwhile. And, not to say that Logic can't be legitimately unhappy or depressed or stressed out over his career in the music industry and... And what people say about him... But honestly, throughout this entire record, there's nothing in the way of any profound observation or [Text-to-speech edited in:] analysis of why things are the way they are and how it came to be this way.

Logic's understanding — an autopsy of all of this — is all just very basic and surface level. The best tracks on this record are easily the first couple, the cut that features YBN Cordae is pretty fantastic as well, as Cordae proves himself to be the best feature on the entire project— even though he does rap for a very short amount of time. And there are a few promising instrumentals on the record — but nothing that outshines the severe averageness of Logic's verses and his hooks. Logic's worst rap album — again — by a very large margin, in my opinion.

I'm feeling a strong 1 to a light 2 on this thing.

Tran—

[Outro: Anthony Fantano]
—Sition have you given this album a listen? Did you love it? Did you hate it? What would you rate it? You're the best. You're the best. What should i review next? Hit the like if you like. Please subscribe and please don't cry. Hit the bell as well. Over here next to my head is another video that you can check out; hit that up or the link to subscribe to the channel.

Anthony Fantano.
Logic.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
Forever.