No Pressure (Logic album)

Last updated

No Pressure
Logic No Pressure album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Logic
ReleasedJuly 24, 2020 (2020-07-24)
Genre Hip hop [1]
Length59:48
Label
Producer
Logic chronology
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
(2019)		No Pressure
(2020)		YS Collection Vol. 1
(2021)
Singles from No Pressure
  1. "Perfect"
    Released: August 11, 2020

No Pressure is the sixth studio album by American rapper Logic. It was released through Def Jam Recordings and Visionary Music Group on July 24, 2020. The production on the album was handled by Logic himself, No I.D., 6ix, and FnZ, among others. No Pressure contains samples from different classic radio shows, with the final track on the album being solely an excerpt from Orson Welles Commentaries . The album was marketed as Logic's final commercial release, however, this statement was retracted upon the release of Logic's following mixtape Bobby Tarantino III . It was supported by the single "Perfect", which was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on August 11, 2020. [2]

Contents

No Pressure received critical acclaim upon release and was considered a return to form for the Maryland MC following his 2019 studio effort Confessions of a Dangerous Mind , which was met with mostly negative reviews. Many critics also commended him for his writing, vocal performances, and for returning to his roots. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, earning 221,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It debuted behind Taylor Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore . Shortly after his retirement, Logic embarked on a streaming career on Twitch. On June 16, 2021, Logic announced his comeback from retirement.

Background and release

On July 16, 2020, Logic announced the album and also announced that the album would be his last as he would be retiring. [3] [4] [5] [6] In the tweet, he stated that it had been a "great decade", and it was time to "be a great father." [7] The next day, he debuted photos of his son, "Little Bobby". [8] His son is also credited as a songwriter on the twelfth track, "A2Z". [9] However, Logic returned to rapping on June 16, 2021.

To celebrate the release, Logic had a "release party extravaganza" on Twitch, where, after playing the album, he became emotional while thanking his fans and other rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Drake for how their contributions as his contemporaries inspire him and support him, whether they know it or not. [10] [11] [12]

Music videos for the tracks "DadBod" and "Aquarius III" were released in the week following the album's release. [13]

Composition and recording

Opening track "No Pressure" features a sample from Orson Welles's The Hitch-Hiker , with Logic cutting in the script with words and phrases. [14] [15] The track also features David Hayter, reprising his role as Solid Snake. [16] [17]

The ending track, "Obediently Yours", uses a sample from the July 28, 1946 episode of Welles's Orson Welles Commentaries . [14] [15] Many listeners praised the usage of samples from Welles, including his commentary on the Isaac Woodard case. Beatrice Welles, his youngest daughter, commented that she "was pleased with the final product and thrilled that her father's message on racism from 76 years ago has struck a chord with a younger audience". [18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 78/100 [19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Entertainment Weekly B [21]
HipHopDX 3/5 [22]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Our Culture Mag Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [24]
RIFF8/10 [25]

No Pressure received generally positive reviews from critics, with some calling it a return to form for the Maryland MC. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 78, based on six reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews". [19] It is the highest score in Logic's discography.

Will Lavin of NME gave the album four out of five stars, saying that the album "continues the trend even as he bids farewell to the art form that raised him and gave him a platform to speak his truth." [23] A.D. Amorosi of Variety said that the album is a "solid, soulful finale" for his career, and that Logic was in his best, "kid-like Q-Tip mode." [26] [27] Tim Hoffman of RIFF magazine gave the album an 8/10, calling it a "masterful final release" for Logic. [25]

In the review for AllMusic, Fred Thomas called it one of Logic's "best and most enjoyable albums, wrapping up an electrified run with his most clearheaded and honest material yet." [20] Donna-Claire Chesman and Yoh Phillips of DJBooth both praised the rapper for having the album be "driven by love" of life, self, music, and "all the feel-good emotions", [28] as well as finally "finding balance" with himself. [29] Judah Charles Lotter of Meaww called the album a "powerful and infectiously catchy swansong album." [30]

Accolades

Year-end lists for No Pressure
PublicationAccoladeRankRef
Riff MagazineThe Best Albums of 2020
62
 [31]
Billboard The 20 Best Rap Albums of 2020
12
 [32]
YardBarker The 20 Best Hip-Hop albums of 2020— [33]

Commercial performance

No Pressure debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 221,000 album-equivalent units (including 172,000 copies as pure album sales) in its first week. [34] This became Logic's seventh US top-ten debut. [34] The album also accumulated a total of 65.16 million on-demand streams of the set's tracks in the week ending August 8. [34]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal. [35]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."No Pressure Intro"
 Like 2:54
2."Hit My Line"
 6ix 4:25
3."GP4"
4:34
4."Celebration"
3:50
5."Open Mic\\Aquarius III"
  • Logic
  • 6ix
  • Gravez
  • 2forWoyne
5:03
6."Soul Food II"
  • Logic
  • 6ix
  • MTK
5:33
7."Perfect"
  • 6ix
  • FnZ
  • Keanu Beats
1:40
8."Man I Is"
  • Logic
  • 6ix
4:29
9."DadBod"
  • Hall
  • Ivatury
  • Kyle Metcalfe
  • 6ix
  • PSTMN
4:54
10."5 Hooks"
  • Logic
  • 6ix
  • Toro y Moi
3:52
11."Dark Place"
  • Hall
  • Ivatury
  • Bundick
  • Clinton
  • Worrell
  • Shider
  • Arkae Tuazon
  • Dexter Wansel
3:15
12."A2Z"
  • Hall
  • Wilson
  • Maneesh Bidaye
  • Little Bobby
  • No I.D.
  • Bidaye
3:08
13."Heard Em Say"
  • Hall
  • Denny Newman
Logic3:36
14."Amen"
  • Logic
  • 6ix
  • PSTMN
2:26
15."Obediently Yours"
  • Hall
  • Wilson
  • Welles
No I.D.6:09
Total length:59:48

Notes

Sample credits

Charts

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References

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  2. ↑ "Top 40 Rhythmic Crossover Radio Music News, Charts, Top Songs, Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Logic: Rapper announces retirement". BBC . July 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ Armstrong, Sam (July 17, 2020). "Logic Announces His Retirement And New Album, 'No Pressure'". uDiscoverMusic.
  5. ↑ France, Lisa (July 17, 2020). "Logic announces retirement with 'No Pressure' album". CNN .
  6. ↑ "Logic Bids Goodbye to Hip-Hop With Final Studio Album 'No Pressure'". Hypebeast . July 17, 2020.
  7. ↑ Logic [@Logic301] (July 16, 2020). "Officially announcing my retirement with the release of "No Pressure" executive produced by No I.D. July 24th... It's been a great decade. Now it's time to be a great father. Art by @SamSpratt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ "Listen To Logic's Final Album 'No Pressure'". Vibe . July 24, 2020.
  9. ↑ Logic [@Logic301] (July 27, 2020). "Little bobby is actually credited as a writer on A2Z and has a percentage of the song. The money he makes from his publishing will go into an account I will surprise him with when he's of age. Lol" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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  15. 1 2 3 4 "Logic samples Orson Welles radio shows on 'No Pressure' album". Wellesnet. July 21, 2020.
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