In the Rap world, and perhaps even the real world, Logic defies logic. The young, biracial spitter, born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, was raised in Gaithersburg, Md., surrounded, as he has recounted in interviews, by poverty, drugs and violence. In his youth he describes himself as “a pretty big pothead,” but he says he’s quit smoking and now indulges in little more than an occasional glass of champagne. Logic readily offers up a laundry list of Hip Hop giants that have steered his work, including Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nas and A Tribe Called Quest among them, but cites Frank Sinatra as a primary influence. He named his crew the Ratt (“Real All the Time”) Pack and his female fans are known as BobbySoxers, as Sinatra’s were back in the day. He went so far as to title his sophomore mixtape Young Sinatra.
Logic began writing lyrics to beats when he was 16, under the guidance and support of his friend and mentor Solomon Taylor, who he’d met three years earlier. When he seriously began his Hip Hop career at 19, he chose the name Psychological because he wanted to make music that would engage and challenge his listeners’ minds. In 2009, as Psychological, he released his first mixtape, but he soon decided to shorten his moniker to simply Logic, which, defined as the science of reasoning, still perfectly fit his original mission statement.
Logic released several acclaimed mixtapes, which were heavily downloaded and generated a lot of press for the young MC; his popularity grew so much, it enabled him to tour Europe without any label support. In 2014, Logic released his debut for Def Jam, Under Pressure , which debuted at No. 4 on Billboard ’s Top 200. Last year, Logic’s second album, The Incredible True Story , a self-described science-fiction epic, did even better than its predecessor. At least part of Logic’s success can be attributed to the message of uplift, positivity and empowerment that permeates his music, even as he addresses some of the darkest moments of his life in his songs. Logic encourages his fans to explore their own dreams, but to follow that path with honor and peace, and that may be the most revolutionary Hip Hop message of all time.
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