Logic Gets Old-School In "YSIV"

It sometimes seems like Logic never stops working. This year’s Bobby Tarantino II was one of the year’s biggest releases, and now that he’s wrapped up his touring for the year, he’s continuing to deliver more music. In line with his adding to an album series, Logic gets old-school in YSIV, the fourth and final album of his Young Sinatra series.

YSIV draws from a lot of places musically, and rap’s roots are one of them. Logic opts for a chiller or more dynamic beat on YSIV, and it really adds a cool dimension to the record. ‘Wu Tang Forever‘ is most noticeably oldschool, featuring verses from all of Wu-Tang Clan‘s members: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, RZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, Jackpot Scotty Wotty, U-God, Masta Killa, and GZA. The beat digs right back into hip-hop’s roots, pairing it with some modern grandiose as all of the rappers dig threateningly into certain issues. On top of taking things back to the past, a lot of the classic elements of Logic music are accentuated on the record, as well. That awesome, unstoppable Logic flow makes many appearances on the record, notably in title track ‘YSIV‘ and ‘The Adventures Of Stoney Bobby‘ featuring Kajo, Slaydro, and Big Lenbo. The album even starts with a skit in ‘Thank You,’ a sweet track featuring Lucy Rose and various voicemails from Logic fans around the world.

Another side to what makes YSIV a great Logic album is because he’s not afraid to get personal. Tracks like ‘Legacy‘ dig into really dark places for him, including his recent divorce. In ‘ICONIC,‘ one of the more aggressive tracks on the record, the Jaden Smith feature bringing even more hype to it, Logic’s verses flame his haters, the big beat adding that extra dominance. Logic establishes his dominance in the game several times throughout the record, including in ‘Everybody Dies‘ and ‘The Return.’ Chiller beats like the ones in ‘One Day‘ with Ryan Tedder and ‘Ordinary Day‘ with Hailee Steinfeld allow for Logic to get a bit more intimate with his audience to keep that connection going. Closing track ‘Last Call‘ is a very intimate closer, Logic speaking for most of the intro before the reflective beat lets Logic recall some of his struggles and appreciating where he is now.

Logic gets old-school in YSIV, digging into his past and hip-hop’s roots to deliver a personal and dynamic record. There’s songs to chill to and songs to reflect with, which really feels like Logic’s trope now. This record is a great look at who Logic is at his roots, and the personal tracks make it certain that you can’t help but root for him.

Favorite Tracks: YSIV, ICONIC, Wu Tang Forever

Least Favorite Track: Street Dreams II

Rating: 80 / 100

Stream or buy YSIV on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: