Retirement didn’t last long for rapper Logic. Following his “retirement album” in 2020,  he quickly returned in 2021 with the Bobby Tarantino III mixtape last year, and is following that up with his seventh studio album release, Vinyl Days.

Vinyl Days Logic Def Jam, June 17 6/10

Crafted over 12 days, this album weighs in heavy at 30 tracks—eight of them skits featuring voicemails from the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, J.J. Abrams and Anthony Fantano. The album is also a farewell to longtime record label Def Jam, as Logic looks to move forward on his own from here on out.

Since he hasn’t skipped a beat in his output, Logic’s pen game remains as sharp as it was on No Pressure. Yet this album seems to lack the stronger structure and focus of previous work. Much of this can be attributed to his new outlook, where he flies in the face of his critics to try and make music out of passion more than for the sake of appealing to others’ sensibilities.

Sonically, the record is consistent with his catalog. There’s an emphasis on snare-driven boom-bap instrumentals, while the sounds of vinyl popping are peppered throughout each song.

The album opens with “Danger,” with a preface by Morgan Freeman declaring Logic the GOAT. Funkmaster Flex also appears, providing ad libs to close this intro track and throughout the album. “Tetris” sees Logic fully committing to his sense of self, rattling off his signature multisyllabic rhyming style. The song is one of two moments on the album where Logic brags about his investment in cryptocurrency, effectively making the bar dead on arrival (now’s not the best time to brag about crypto, Logic). Action Bronson makes an appearance on “In My Life,” detailing his come-up from struggle, delivering aggressive and punchy bars. It’s curious that Logic, who’s rubbed elbows with the Wu-Tang Clan before, didn’t get Ghostface Killah on the album—but Bronson delivers a solid verse.

“Decades” features an interesting beat switch-up, sampling “Oh How You’ve Hurt Me” by Fabulous Performers, going back and forth between trap and boom-bap. On “BLACKWHITEBOY,” Logic throws the redundant criticisms lobbed at him back at his detractors while explaining why he chose to come out of retirement. “Quasi” kicks off with an homage to Madlib’s famous alter ego, Quasimoto. Here, Logic laments the hip-hop icon’s absence from the mic. We get a blast from the past on “Bleed It,” where Logic samples The Beat Boys’ “Ch-Check It Out” and “So Whatcha Want.” He raps about childhood trauma from his alcoholic mother using the same distorted vocal recording method for which the trio was known.

“LaDonda” explores the tumultuous relationship Logic has with music writer Anthony Fantano, who’s been critical of the rapper’s work, and how he went from despising him to becoming friends.

Logic reflects on how he’s found being at home more conducive to his creative process on “Clouds,” with mediocre followup verses by Curren$y and Langston Bristol. He brings on Atlanta rapper Russ for “Therapy Music,” where he explores his reasoning for giving up and quickly coming back and changing his approach. Russ seems to content to brow-beat about how people are too driven by the opinions of others to think for themselves. It’s ironic for a guy who often sends Twitter into a storm with hot takes, but I suppose Russ has a point here.

Wiz Khalifa joins the star-studded guest list on “Breath Control.” Then on”Nardwuar,” Logic samples the interviewer while taking on the alter ego of Doctor Destruction. We get to witness the Ratt Pack reunion of Logic’s friends IamJMARS, Big Lenbo and Shy Grey on “Kickstyle.”

The back half of the album is loaded with lyrical heavyweights. Royce da 5’9″ appears on “Ten Years,” cementing himself as an unwilling force to outside influences. RZA joins on “Portaone,” where he and Logic rap over a sample of the Wu-Tang Clan hit “Bring Da Ruckus.” Logic also calls out the music industry for not putting more faith into up-and-comers, bringing on Nezi Momodu for “Introducing Nezi” to do just that.

Blu and Logic both express their confidence in their influence over the industry on “Orville,” followed by the braggadocios “Carnival,” with an appearance from AZ. Logic delivers some of his strongest writing on the title track, with a stream-of-consciousness flow with DJ Premier providing scratching to this standout song. The Game provides hard-hitting battle bars on “I Guess I Love It,” where Logic expresses fresh confidence in breaking away from Def Jam. The final track, “Sayonara,” is a farewell address to the record company as Logic thanks those who supported him there followed by a bittersweet spoken word conclusion.

Considering his frustrations with how Def Jam has handled the distribution of his records in the past, Vinyl Days‘ biggest weakness comes in its length. The album doesn’t scrutinize any specific topic close enough for a consistent theme, and with the vast difference between its first and second half, it probably should’ve been split into two separate releases.

But for what it’s worth, it’s nice to have an energetic and passionate presence like Logic’s return.

Follow hip-hop critic Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.

Tim Hoffman is a passionate hip-hop fan which is why he created and hosted "Graveyard Shift" as a DJ at KZSC 88.1 FM. Under the moniker of DJ Dostoevsky, Hoffman covered underground hip-hop shows while also reporting on current events. He graduated from University of California Santa Cruz with a degree in creative writing.

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