I can barely believe Ive sat on this gem of a album for a year! Considering I was burning through Logic's catalog of records, perhaps I wouldn't of appreciated it back then. There is no doubt he's gotten better with time but this record bangs hard. Best of all... Wu-Tang Forever! This eight minute epic is one of the Clan's best tracks! It kicks off with the classic 36 Chambers kung-foo flick samples and Logic rising to their level with the opening verse and cracking rhymes. Cappadonna, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Method Man, with sick references to Digable Planets in his flow. The RZA, Raekwon, Scotty Wotty and U-God all step on the mic with brilliant back to back verses. Its been my addiction as of late, firmly a classic track.
That highlight is wedged between a string of songs in the first two thirds of YSIV that rolls so sweetly, so before we get to that lets talk about the last third. I could easily say this was Logic's best work however the last few tracks loose pace. At seventy six minutes its a shade bloated with a few weak tracks dragging in its finale lap before Last Call, a ten minute monologue of the stories hes told many times over. Its a bomb that fizzles out somewhere after the title track, which is another resurrection of Boom Bap with the classic AZ hook "Life's a bitch and then you die". He does the sample justice, once again Logic rapping over classic beats works every time.
It opens on a slow burn, the classic fan hotline answering messages build a little suspense for whats to come, Logic gets going with tight fast flows leaping of the clap and snap beats, self affirming his lyrical superiority and position in the game. The instrumentals are fresh and sharp, keen and lively as he continues to bring fiery rhymes at pace. One Day shakes up the flow with Ryan Tedder's voice adding a pop flavor to a track with lean thudding base kicks. After the WTC track things got exotic and spicy with a beachy beat. Logic goes ham, bringing technical proficiency as he spits his rhymes with clarity at stunning speeds. Its a total show off track that slams.
This forth and final chapter has such a volume of excellence, it feels like the first "go to" record of Logic's with a big chunk of play time that flows effortlessly, showing off his prowess on the mic and story telling at its best. Still working with 6ix, the beats are flavorful and vivid. Ironically my least favorites where the ones he didn't produce. Its fantastic to see how the two can keep the chemistry up for all these years... Loving this record, it looses me at the end but the rest is simply fantastic.
Favorite Tracks: The Return, Wu Tang Forever, 100 Miles And Running, YSIV, The Adventures Of Stoney Bob
Rating: 8/10