Logic (rapper)
Sir Robert Bryson Hall II[a] (born January 22, 1990), known professionally as Logic, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He released his debut mixtape, Psychological: The Mixtape in December 2009 under the name Psychological, thereafter shortening his name to Logic. He gained popularity following his Young Sinatra (2011) mixtape series; its third installment, Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever (2013) received critical acclaim and led him to secure a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. Logic's first two studio albums—Under Pressure (2014) and The Incredible True Story (2015)—both peaked within the top five of the U.S. Billboard 200, while the former received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5]
This article is about the rapper from Rockville, Maryland. For the rapper from Atlanta, Georgia, see Y'all So Stupid. For the study of correct reasoning, see Logic.
Logic
- Psychological
- Young Sinatra
- Bobby Tarantino
- Doctor Destruction
- PeanutsMPC
- Peanuts
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- streamer
- 2005–present
2
Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.
2011–present
549,000
2016–present
3.35 million[1]
1.4 billion[1]
Logic achieved his furthest success and mainstream recognition with his third album Everybody (2017), which peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100 top-three single "1-800-273-8255" (featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid).[6] His fourth and fifth albums, YSIV (2018) and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2019) were met with similar commercial success; the latter contained the single "Homicide" (featuring Eminem), which peaked at number five on the Hot 100.[7] After his sixth album No Pressure (2020), Logic retired from music;[8] however, his career would continue with the release his seventh mixtape Bobby Tarantino III (2021). His seventh album, Vinyl Days (2022) was his final release with Def Jam. His eighth album, College Park (2023) was released independently.
Logic has received two Grammy Award nominations. As an author, he released the novel Supermarket (2019), which was accompanied with a namesake soundtrack album. The book became a New York Times Best Seller, although both works received generally unfavorable critical reception.[9] He published his memoir, This Bright Future, in 2021.[10] Logic is also a streamer and is signed exclusively with Twitch, becoming the first musician to do so.[11]
Early life and education
Sir Robert Bryson Hall II was born on January 22, 1990, at Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, Maryland.[12] He was born to Robert Bryson Hall, a black Maryland native, and a white mother. Between his father and mother, he has seven half-siblings.[13] Logic spent much of his youth in the West Deer Park neighborhood in Gaithersburg, Maryland. His father suffered from a cocaine addiction and his mother suffered from alcoholism.[14] Despite his father initially being absent in his childhood, Logic was able to reconnect with Hall due to his burgeoning rap career. During his early adolescent years, Logic witnessed his brothers produce and distribute crack cocaine to "addicts all over the block",[15] including to his father. Logic maintains that he accurately knows how to manufacture and produce crack cocaine following these experiences.[16]
He attended neighboring Gaithersburg High School. However, he did not graduate and was soon expelled after he began skipping classes in the tenth grade. Logic would comment on the expulsion, stating "I started doing badly and failed every class but English, so they kicked me out of school, they gave up on me."[17]
Career
2005–2012: Early career and various mixtapes
At the age of 13, Logic met Solomon Taylor, who would soon become his mentor.[18] Logic became interested in rap and hip hop after watching the movie Kill Bill: Volume 1, directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film's score was produced by RZA, a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan.[19] Following this, Logic began listening to the group, and soon expressed a deep affection for hip hop. Logic bought the Roots' album Do You Want More?!!!??! later that year,[20] which prompted Taylor to bring Logic a large number of CDs containing instrumental beats, for him to write lyrics over.[21] In 2009, Logic performed under the stage name "Psychological" with Logic describing the name as "one name that really stuck [with me]. I just loved this word because it was about the mind and I knew that's what I wanted my music to consist of; something that really challenges the mind".[22] He released an unofficial mixtape titled Psychological – Logic: The Mixtape under his original stage name. The mixtape allowed Logic to serve as the opening act for artists like Pitbull, EPMD, Method Man, Redman, and Ludacris at various shows all over Maryland. Soon after, he shortened the "Psychological" moniker to "Logic".[22]
Following these introductory experiences, Logic released his first official mixtape, Young, Broke & Infamous, on December 15, 2010.[23] The mixtape was well received by critics and was the genesis for Logic to establish an early following. Chris Zarou, the president of Visionary Music Group, heard the mixtape and signed Logic to the independent label. Upon signing, Logic stated in an interview, "Visionary Music Group is like Roc-A-Fella. Damon Dash, that's like Chris Zarou of Visionary Music Group, I like to see myself as a Jay. In no way am I arrogant or cocky, I have to see it in order to do it. They did it independent and when they signed with a major, they did it the way that they wanted to do it".[24] The mixtape was confirmed to have been downloaded over 300,000 times on online mixtape sharing platform DatPiff. Logic released his second mixtape, Young Sinatra, in 2011.[25] It serves as the first installment in the Young Sinatra chronology, and the mixtape received critical acclaim from various publications, including XXL.[20] The songs "All I Do" and "Mind of Logic" specifically touch on Logic's mindset. The former is about Logic's everyday workflow in his personal studio, while the latter serves as a lyrical tour of Logic's mind, discussing his desire to be the greatest.[26] The music video for "All I Do", released on YouTube, gained over a million views in the week following its release.[27]
After the success of his previous two projects, Logic released his third mixtape, Young Sinatra: Undeniable, on April 30, 2012.[28] The mixtape is notable for Logic addressing various personal topics, including his future, his father's drug use, his expulsion from school, and his mother getting stabbed.[29] Speaking about the mixtape, Logic said, "Fans tend to think that if you fall in love with an artist because he makes this kind of sound [but if he gets] bigger and he grows and [his sound changes, people also think he changes]. But with me, I created all types of sounds from the get-go, so you can never say I'm changing."[28] He commented on the musical aspects of the mixtape, stating, "There's stuff on there for the motherf***ers that don't pay attention to lyrics and just want to have fun, but every line is constructed with such depth that the real lyricists and nitpickers have something to listen to."[20] After the release of Young Sinatra: Undeniable, Logic completed his first national headlining tour, the Visionary Music Group Tour.
Personal life
In 2013, Logic stated that he smoked cannabis while growing up. He was also addicted to cigarettes, dedicating the song "Nikki" from Under Pressure to the subject. He speaks about smoking since the age of 13 and that, while he had attempted to give up marijuana and alcohol, he could not overcome the addiction until the age of 24. He pledged not to smoke another cigarette after the release of Under Pressure.[15] He maintains a YouTube channel where he posts videos about his favorite video games, personal life, behind the scenes, and freestyle raps.[127]
On October 22, 2015, Logic married singer Jessica Andrea.[128] He announced that they had separated in March 2018, and filed for divorce the following month.[129] They remained friends and did not cite anger as the reason for their split, stating that "it just didn't work out".[130] Logic married Brittney Noell in September 2019, and they later had a son together named Bobby the following year on July.[2][131][132][133] They also had a second child named Leo in July 2023.[134]
Artistry
Logic cites Frank Sinatra as his main inspiration. Sinatra's influence can be seen in several aspects of Logic's persona, with Logic having the "RattPack" (a play on Sinatra's "Rat Pack" and an acronym for "Real All the Time"). The group initially consisted of Logic's manager Christian Zarou, executive producer 6ix, and rappers C Dot Castro and Big Lenbo. He also describes his female fans as "BobbySoxers", as well as referring to himself as "Young Sinatra".[135] As a child, his mother made him watch old black and white movies, which formed his love for the singer. Logic cites Sinatra as instrumental to him being able to carry and articulate himself the way he does, with Logic describing him as an individual who "showcased peace, love, grace, positivity, honor, and valor".[24][28]
Logic has said that various forms of entertainment across many platforms have influenced him, including music by A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Outkast, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Drake, Eminem, the Wu-Tang Clan, and films by Quentin Tarantino.[15][136][137] In an interview with XXL, Logic stated, "I love all subgenres within hip-hop and all genres of music, and I think that's what allows me to make the music that I do, because of my appreciation for the music."[28]
