On November 13th, 2015, Logic dropped his sophomore album, The Incredible True Story. After his debut album Under Pressure was very well received, there was a lot of hype for this follow up. After releasing the movie poster like album cover and title, fans got even more excited. This album had two singles released before the album dropped including, “Like Whoa” and “Young Jesus” featuring Big Lenbo. Both of these songs have their own distinct sounds and represent the many different talents and sounds that Logic can deliver. Logic also took the reins of the music video process for this album, directing the clever video that accompanies the single “Young Jesus”.
Taking the place of movie director/screenwriter, Logic decided to switch up his formula and go with a completely new idea for his sophomore album. The Incredible True Story follows a timeline and story while also introducing and building on characters in the plot. The story takes place in the future and follows two space cadets, Thomas and Kai, as they are flying through space in hopes of finding a new home planet to support life. Earth was depleted of its resources and abandoned in 2065 and since then, the remaining 500 million people left in the world are stationed on a temporary space station. As the two cadets travel they use Logic’s discography and music to help pass the time and reflect back on the simpler times. Logic’s music serves as the motivating factor in the search for a new home, while helping bring back nostalgic thoughts of a better time for cadet Thomas. Skits and cut scenes in between the songs add to the character development and depth to the story; truly transporting the listener into the shoes of the main characters.
The album starts with a jazz influenced instrumental and introduces us to the two main characters of The Incredible True Story. On “Fade Away”, Logic delivers his signature spitfire flow and consistent lyricism. The production is crisp and has a smooth layered sound that gives logic freedom with his voice control. Logic sounds confident and ready to ascend into the greats of the rap game, as the chorus says, he will “never fade away.” This confidence continues onto “Upgraded” as Logic spits a few braggadocios lines on just how much life has upgraded over the last few years. After being signed to Def Jam in 2014 and releasing his debut album, you could say things changed quite drastically for Logic. On “Intermission”, Logic slows it down and reflects back a little bit and adds some depth and personal info into that this album that rarely ventures into Logic’s personal life or emotions. On this song like many, Logic clearly showcases his amazing talent for flowing and taking control of a beat. On “I am The Greatest ” the bass gets turned up as Logic gets a bit more aggressive over the hard hitting production of O.Z, and on “City Of Stars” Logic displays some confidence and execution with his singing ability. The production is smooth and simple and is the most pop sounding song of the album. The second half of the song switches up the sound by speeding up the beat and letting Logic get back into his spitfire zone and vent a few of his frustrations. It’s clear that he seems more comfortable in the aggressive speedy flows, and it works well for him on both of these albums. On “Paradise,” Logic makes the same two part song structure of before, opening up and singing a bit on the first part and then delivering some amazing verses in his signature style for the second part. The album ends with the heavily jazz influenced production of “The incredible true story” and logic experiments a bit with some more singing and melodies, as Thomas and Kai finally reach the planet Paradise and possibly discover their new home.
This album was big for Logic as any sophomore follow up album would be. After making a successful debut, the number one thing that everyone wants to know next is how well will he follow it up. Logic took a risk and did something creative and innovative for his follow up and, while that may not be what everyone wanted for this project, it’s definitely what Logic wanted. This helps cement Logic as an artist that will not compromise his vision or sound and proves he delivers his art for the sake of art and not for the reward of money.
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