Hip Hop Habit: LogicaL
posted in: Features • Urban
Ego tripping, chest thumping, talking shit”whatever you want to call it”is accepted by mass audiences if it falls under two criteria: truth and balance. No one can dog an artist for trumpeting his abilities if what he speaks is undeniably the truth”as has somewhat surprisingly been the case with Kanye West”especially if there is some secondary content in said artist’s catalog to counterweight what would otherwise be an obnoxious collection of material. This week’s featured HHH artist LogicaL knows both requirements very, very well.
Without Me delves into the confidence realm with LogicaL begging the question how could you call it music without me in the equation? Though that statement may be just a bit outlandish, he has every right to champion his own art. Musically, this excellently-produced track carries the form of a well thought out pop song, from a catchy vocal sample in the intro to its parallel synthesized sitar-y riff when the verse drops. The track even has a pre-chorus to prepare listeners for what comes next. With his momentum flying, LogicaL admits to loving the chase I don’t like the ground/ that’s what I’m always in the air for and confirms his philosophy as being not all about the flash, but all about the lyrics/ and everybody knows the difference when they hear it. Ain’t that the truth.
Different Breed featuring DayKeeper is where the balance comes in. Immediately recalling Lupe Fiasco‘s track Baba Says Cool For Thought featuring Lesha Jaco, this piece opens with DayKeeper’s tense spoken word over gentle piano growing in intensity until LogicaL’s verse breaks over a pattern of crunchy snare hits. From here on out the therapeutic beat flows easy, supporting the two emcees’ refreshing message about not buying into the negative practices of settling for less or halting effort too early, illustrated in lines like Good intentions die hard/ that’s why I always do more than just try hard and never settle under par.
Those two tracks represent the two poles of LogicaL’s stylistic spectrum, but a third approach finds common ground (and also proves the emcee can sing). Check out Can’t Let Go. On LogicaL’s profile if the previously mentioned tracks don’t do it for you. With so many styles, only time will tell which one will emerge ahead of the others and be known as LogicaL’s sound. Let us know which is your favorite in the comments below!