Logic Announces His Retirement Along With the Release of His Final Album “No Pressure”

Rapper Logic has officially announced his retirement. He took to both Twitter and Instagram to share this news to his fans – while revealing that his reasoning for his departure is because he wants to be able to put all of his time and energy into fatherhood with the birth of his new baby boy, little Bobby. 

“I know the news of retirement may be bittersweet when understanding the motives behind it. But worry not dear listener. I will still be here for you. This will now if anything only allow me to focus more on not only my family, but YOU! My family reading this – without the stress of this industry, we can communicate more, interact more. I’m so excited for that. I love you and thank you so so much for being here with me all these years. RattPack for infinity!”

With that, Logic is here with his final farewell album, No Pressure – a nod to his debut album, Under Pressure. I think it’s needed to take a walk down memory lane of Logic’s discography as an MC. The transition from a young man being under immense pressure, to making it as a rapper – to now exiting out of the game and the industry, stepping away from the pressure and into fatherhood is a journey that deserves to be acknowledged. 

Logic officially entered the rap game with his debut album, Under Pressure, which immediately made him an MC to look out for – brought long time fans to their knees, and attracted a flock of new fans simultaneously. Nothing compares to Under Pressure, although Logic’s growth has been notable and at times a little confusing to follow. Nevertheless, Under Pressure showcased Logic’s skill on every level: rhyme scheme, flow, quality of beats, and especially lyrical content – he was securing his spot indefinitely. 

Logic illuminated his childhood trauma and scars with Under Pressure. He rapped about growing up surrounded by gang violence, his parents being either absent or abusing drugs, food stamps, never having a secure place to call home. Despite all of the obstacles and roadblocks in his way, Logic was determined to make it. Under Pressure was the healing of his inner child wounds –  The vision of a young boy from Maryland making it big was slowly coming into fruition. 

Since then, Logic’s discography looks as if he has been rapping for decades. In just six years he has dropped a total of eight albums. Logic has always felt this immense pressure to continue to create at a rapid speed and his work ethic is evident and somewhat obsessive.

He switched from making his music more based on sharing his personal, intimate life experiences and became an advocate for the public. He began to utilize his platform into speaking out about issues that were affecting humanity. His 2017 album, Everybody showcased Logic speaking out on racial inequality, mental illness, and suicide awareness. 

Logic also started to explore his more nerdy side to him as well within his music. A lover of comic books, animation, video games, and a master of the Rubik’s cube- He adopted a new persona, alter ego Bobby Tarantino to explore his more imaginative side. At some point, however, Logic started to piece together projects a bit too rapidly.

This made some of his later albums feel a bit forced, even corny at times. That downfall was hard to watch, as people started to feel the old, relentless Logic getting a bit overworked –  not taking the proper time to focus on what he really wanted to say with his music. 

His final album, No Pressure showcases Logic prioritizing expressing his truth, clearly deciphering what is no longer serving him in his life at this point – social media, internet trolls, and always feeling as if he must top his previous accolades. 

No Pressure pays homage to the tone and sound of Under Pressure through the jazz heavy instrumentation, courtesy of his longtime producer NO I.D. Not only that but, similar to Under Pressure, this is a strict rap album. In his later projects, we saw Logic taking on more hooks, more singing, and separating himself from being solely engulfed with the raps. 

He even has a track titled, “5 hooks,” speaking to the heavy infused rhymes with very little room for a hook – honoring the determined little Bobby, spitting bars a mile a minute in a basement in Maryland. Logic has faced a lot of controversy for his later projects, lots of immense hate of people telling him he has declined. 

Now at 30, Logic is grown and tired of allowing the thoughts of people who aren’t even his fans, blocking him from living a life of peace. No Pressure is Logic finally setting up boundaries when it comes to the voices of others. No Pressure is a restoration of confidence, showing Logic choosing to honor how far he has come, knowing that regardless of how people judge him now – that he made it. 

The track, “Soul Food II,” has Logic taking on the same beat in 2014. Back in 2014, Logic used “Soul Food” to speak on how far he needed to come in order to make it out of an abusive household, out of the slums of Maryland. 

Now, on “Soul Food II” he raps, “Dreamin I’m a freshman on XXL, 2013 on the cover XXL. Livin life behind these bars with no intention of postin bail, cause I prevail. But that story is for another time, story for another rhyme. And on my darkest days, I know the sun will shine eventually. “

“Soul Food II” is being used to acknowledge and validate that he did what he set out to do, regardless of what anyone else is saying – he knows the truth. The realization that his dreams manifested out of the cracks of broken streets and grew gloriously into a tree is being illuminated. A family tree is what he is now focused on healing and putting his energy into. 

On the track, “Man i is” the horns blasts like rockets, carrying the beat to higher heights. Logic raps, “I’ve cooked crack, I can’t erase it. Grew up all alone, had to teach myself to tie my laces. And I’m proud of the man I’ve become. I’m proud that I’m from a slum. I never got cold, I never got numb. Growing up, nobody there for him. I promise when I have a family, Ima be there for em.”

This is what Logic represents, you can hate but can’t not acknowledge the growth and his ability to transmute roadblocks into blessings. No Pressure highlights Logic’s ability to not only heal himself but, heal generational trauma that bleeds deep in his family tree. The fact that he was able to re-birth himself, is in return re-writing his ancestral lineage  – A man looking at the mistreatment he experienced growing up, and literally writing those wrongs. 

Logic exposed all of his thoughts, deepest feelings, and revelations with his music. On the track, “Dark Place,” he illuminates directly what has led him to retirement – a feeling that is surfacing from others, that he is perpetually not good enough. 

He raps,”Behold it’s me, the piece of shit that’s not good enough. Not black enough, not hood enough. Not rich enough, not poor enough. My heart has poured enough. I’ve been beaten and battered, my confidence shattered.”

He no longer wants to stay in those low feelings of worthlessness that are not even his to carry – they are the words and burdens of anonymous people. So, Logic is indefinitely doing what he does best – transforming and re-birthing into bigger and better things. 

Logic dropped an interview with Hard Knock TV and discussed the overwhelming pressure of unworthiness that was suffocating him.

“Then I dropped my debut album, and shit was incredible. I did a tour, still always facing hurdles. Then, I did the second album, you know I’m feeling like damn people are telling me the first album wasn’t as good as the mix-tapes. Then the second album wasn’t as good as the first album. Then I did Bobby Tarantino, because I wanted to have fun and do something different – step outside of my lane instead of doing the same thing over and over repetitively. Then, that wasn’t as good as the other shit, then I do “Everybody” and it’s a bunch of memes. Then Bobby Tarantino II wasn’t as good as Bobby Tarantino. It was just this constant cycle of your not good enough, but my fans never sold me that.”

Logic is honoring his fans that always sold-out stadiums, that always listened with open ears and open hearts. This is what Bobby is doing now – making room for what is important which right now is his family, being a good father, and connecting in different ways with fans. 

We thank you for gifting us with as many projects and rhymes as you did Logic. For being incredibly vulnerable, for showing us that dreams are real and attainable if you believe that they are. You taught the world that it isn’t about where you come from but where you are going. You taught us that success is attainable, that hurdles can be overcome.

That it’s about how bad you are willing to fight, and that what really matters at the end of the day is how you regard yourself. Logic is making it known that to him, the rat pack is regarded as a family to him. We are looking forward to seeing you release that pressure that you kept bottled up in that basement, now you are free – a world with no pressure that you orchestrated and dreamt into fruition.