A Review of Logic's "YSIV"

Coming off his March 2018 release of "Bobby Tarantino II," it would only be logical (see what I did there) for us to assume we wouldn't be hearing from Logic again until next year. Well, you know what happens when we assume, and now here we have Logic's second mixtape of 2018 "YSIV." Hopefully Logic can bounce back from a lackluster project in "Bobby Tarantino II." I (obviously) listened to the whole project where Logic started it off with a Rick and Morty skit, which established Logic would be aiming for "titty rap." In other words, Logic was aiming for bangers and less content, which showed in his delivery being drowned out by several beats on "Bobby Tarantino II." The only song I enjoyed enough to listen to again was "Everyday" featuring Marshmello. Short story short, "Bobby Tarantino II" had been disappointing especially coming off of an impressive yet underrated album "Everybody." Hopefully, we see an improvement from "mixtape Logic" on "YSIV." Now let's get to the track list!
"YSIV" contains 14 tracks with a total of 11 features. These 11 features are spread out amongst seven tracks. Lucy Rose, The RattPack, Ryan Tedder, Wu-Tang Clan, Wale, John Lindahl, Hailee Steinfeld, Kajo, Slaydro, Big Lenbo and Jaden Smith are all featured on this project. Ryan Tedder is featured "One Day," one of the three singles Logic had released leading up to the release of this mixtape with, "Everybody Dies" and "The Return" being the other two singles released. Much anticipation for "YSIV," so without further ado, let's get to the review! 👂🏾

Review 👂🏾
Scale

Per song
+.5 for beat selection
+.5 for flow
+.5 for content/impact
+.5 for hit value

Points will be taken off for:
Fatigue in listening
Lack of diversity in beats

Raw Score: The amount of good songs on a project versus the overall amount. Songs must have a +1 or above to be counted.

Quality Score: The total amount of points accumulated over the total amount of songs.

Playback value: The resonance an album is perceived to have if played again in full. Scale out of 5.

Thank You (ft. Lucy Rose & The RattPack)
The mixtape starts with a continuation of the skit on the outro of "Everybody" titled "AfricAryaN." This song has a skit with the characters from "The Incredible True Story" still on their search for paradise.
"Kai: Damn man, we’ve been walking forever
Thomas: Well, Thalia’s tracking system says we’ll be there in just over an hour
Kai: Shit, at least we got good walking music or is that it?
Thomas: Oh no, man. I’m cueing up the fourth album now, his final one"
This led speculation that Logic's next studio album would be his last, however on the first song of this, we have a replay of the skit, adding one key part.
"KAI: Nigga, what the hell are you talkin' bout?
Man, he has like a million albums!
THOMAS: I mean the final Young Sinatra, the fourth one.
KAI: Aww, shit man, you had me trippin'!
I was about to say..."
With this skit to start off "YSIV" we now understand that this is the last of Logic's "Young Sinatra" series of mixtapes and we will be getting more Logic music to come for years. We then get to the classic Logic "boom bap shit." for the verse. A refreshing turn from "Bobby Tarantino II" because content is what Logic has built his popularity on. This song is a thank you to all of his fans for sticking with him as we get from the chorus,
"Thank you, thank you
For letting me speak my mind
And putting it all on the line
Through the sunshine and the rain
Through the good times and the pain."
After this chorus we get a long interlude of fans from all over the world talking about how Logic has impacted them personally. During the outro Logic once again thanks his fanbase "The RattPack."
+1.5

Everybody Dies
One of the singles Logic dropped leading up to the release of "YSIV." Continuing with the turn from "Bobby Tarantino II," the beat on this song is fast paced "boom bap" with emphasis on the soft bass. In this song Logic raps about how much music he has in the first verse while addressing the haters.
"'Cause I'm sittin' on five, unreleased albums
Greatest of all time, no lyin', that's the outcome
I do it for the boom bap, the trap and the radio
Fuck a fake fan, steppin' to me, try to play me, ho"
On the second verse Logic raps about his peace, love and positivity movement rapping,
"Don't murder others 'cause you disagree with they beliefs"
The way Logic simply flows on this beat while changing his flows from fast to faster is amazing. The impact of the content is there, along with the marvelous beat selection and flows.
+1.5

The Return
Another one of the three singles Logic had dropped before the release of the mixtape. A similar vibe from "Everybody Dies," in this beat there's more emphasis on the drums and the harmonies. Logic addresses adversity referencing in his second verse,
"And back then I thought I'd be defined by how good I rhyme
Not like these rappers with shit flows, but look good online
Not made to feel bad for speakin' bout this shit on my mind
Or called a faggot, a nigger, a cracker who wish he was blacker
I wish I could face my homophobic, racist attacker"
Here Logic address the base that talks about his race versus his actual rapping ability. On the third verse Logic once again refuses to engage in a rap beef with people taking shots at him saying,
"Fuck a rap beef, I promise I want all of y'all to prosper."
Many people have tried to take shots at Logic and Logic has mostly avoided going back and forth with those. He then shoots his shot for a JAY-Z verse as he closes with the lines,
"I'm callin' out Jay-Z to jump up on the track with me and smack the whole industry
Show 'em what that real rap do
The ball's in your court, Hov, I hope to hear from Guru, woo!"
Overall, another great song with a great beat, flow, and content.
+1.5

The Glorious Five
On this song Logic keeps rapping over the calm, fast paced beats. Logic raps about his experiences not having a father figure in his upbringing on his first verse. He talks about how his father only calls him when he needs something. Logic then raps about how that had an impact on him as he spits,
"Now I'm the man that I always wish he woulda been
And never started smokin' crack; imagine just what could have been, damn
Always felt like somethin' it was missin'
Wish we could have played catch, had talks, and went fishin'
But had no one there to listen."
Throughout the second verse Logic raps about staying humble and keeping himself in check before we get to the last chorus. Once again, beat selection, content and flows will get you far.
+1.5

One Day (ft. Ryan Tedder)
First off, this is the last of the singles Logic has put out before the drop of this project. Secondly, the transition from "The Glorious Five" to this song is seamless. Logic ends the last song with the line,
"All I know is that I'm gonna make it one day,"
only for the listener to hear Ryan Tedder sing about that day as soon as this song comes on.
"And maybe one day I'll be wiser
'Cause maybe one day I'll be further from here"
On this song Logic raps about his upbringing, and how far he has come. The synchronizing between Logic and Ryan Tedder during the bridges is something that stands out on this track. The impact on this track is once again felt.
+1.5

Wu Tang Forever (ft. Wu-Tang Clan)
The call back to the "boom bap shit," along with Logic claiming mumble rap wouldn't be remembered on multiple songs so far makes this feature make sense. However, this isn't the first time Logic has had rap legends as features on a song. On Logic's last album "Everybody" Logic has Chuck D, No I.D. and Black Thought a song titled "America." Back to this song, it's nice for nostalgia and a change of pace from the fast-paced songs that have preceded this song. The song being so long, there's no room for consistent content.
+1

100 Miles and Running (ft. Wale & John Lindahl)
The first thing I think when the baseline of this song drops is, this baseline is similar to the baseline from the song "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays. While the baseline is in the forefront of "For the Love of Money," versus the baseline being in the background for this Logic song, it's still noticeable enough to merit recognition. Wale puts forth a solid verse on this song and Logic does a great job of spitting and changing his flow over a variety of instruments, most notably the trumpets during the third verse of the song. On the fourth verse we hear Logic spit as fast as I personally had ever heard him rap before. John Lindahl's vocals add an old school sound with his high-pitched voice.
+1

Ordinary Day (ft. Hailee Steinfeld)
A softer song, compared to the previous tracks on this project. The song starts off with Logic singing the chorus, then showing off his rap flow in his verse before we hear the amazing vocals of Hailee Steinfeld. Hailee Steinfeld’s impact on this song is felt throughout her beautiful vocals. The content over the last three songs has shifted from reflecting on Logic's past to just having fun with the music.
+1

YSIV
The hook is a sample from Nas' discography, "Life's A Bitch." Logic doesn't use Nas however, as he uses the AZ hook on "Life's A Bitch" as the hook on this song. During the last part of the second verse Logic proceeds to tell a story from the aspect of money. Logic raps about how suddenly life can change or be taken by money. The story in short: two teens are now dead at the hands of the cops after beefing over money. During the outro, Logic pays his respects to Mac Miller, a rapper who tragically died from an apparent overdose in early September of 2018 (R.I.P.). The return of content on this song along with the boom bap beat returns us to the vibe of the start of the album, Logic's slow-paced flow doesn't take us all the way back to that vibe however.
+1.5

Street Dreams II
Continuing the story telling, Logic gives us a story of his girl being kidnapped and his quest to rescue her. The story is entertaining, and the rapping ability is very much on display throughout this song. The interludes on this song occur at the climatic times, which takes the listener to the scene. The outro brings us back to reality as Logic is in the studio after telling us this story.
+1.5

The Adventures of Stoney Bob (ft. Kajo, Slaydro & Big Lenbo)
The outro of "Street Dreams II" ends with Logic being called "Stoney Bob neck ass," which works to set up this song titled "The Adventures of Stoney Bob." The content is addressing weed, which makes the reference Logic raps apply.
"For shizzle my nizzle, I feel like D-O-double Gizzle on this grizzle, my nizzle
Put the greenery on the grill and let it sizzle, my nizzle"
In these lines, Logic is referencing Snoop Dogg, legendary rapper and weed enthusiast. Logic raps another slow flowed verse before we hear from Kajo and Logic on the mellow chorus. We then hear a solid verse from Slaydro followed by a good Big Lenbo verse.
+1

Legacy
Another seamless transition from "The Adventures of Stoney Bob" to this song titled "Legacy." Logic questions whether having a legacy and wealth is worth it if it means the loss of family moments. In the second verse Logic raps,
"Went from 40 hours a week to 80
Ain't nobody gon' pay me but myself
Sacrifice my time and my health, for wealth
I missed a birthday, miss an anniversary
There's lots of people in this world that's worse than me
I wasn't there for my son's first words
But he ain't grow up in the hood like me, we in the burbs"
Here Logic talks about the hours put in and how that leads to him missing out on moments like birthdays and anniversaries. This all comes to a head during the fifth verse when Logic spits from the perspective of his partner,
"Sometimes I want to divorce your ass and take half
Motherfucker
But I stay 'cause I love these children
And I love you deep down, that's why I stick around, but
You never there"
The hard work Logic puts in takes a toll on his family and his relationship. The calm beat puts an emphasis on Logic's storytelling once again as he asks us with a question during listening to this song. What's more important, wealth and legacy or health and moments with family?
+1.5

ICONIC (ft. Jaden Smith)
This song is a turn from the "boom bap shit" we have grown accustomed to hearing from "YSIV." The beat brings about flashbacks of "Icon" by Jaden Smith, which makes sense because Jaden Smith is on this song and the song is called "ICONIC." (duh) Logic returns to those fast-paced flows we heard from the first few songs off this project. We get a brief Jaden Smith interlude along with a beat switch as Smith's only appearance on the song which is a bit disappointing. The songs third verse is a contrast from the first two as the beat has switched from high hat focused to a more bass heavy beat. Logic's voice gets drowned out by the bass on this third verse making it super hard to pick up what he's saying. Continuing the theme from "Legacy," Logic raps about how he has a different focus when rapping.
"You ever wonder what it means to finally live your dreams
Then realize that everything, it just ain't what it seems?
Uh, yeah, I thought I wanted to be the greatest alive
Until I realized that being the greatest is just a lie."
It appears that Logic has had an epiphany and a goal change in his rap career. It's interesting to see how this changes how we see him and how he sees himself going forward.
+1

Last Call
Bring this mixtape full circle, Logic brings in the content from the first five songs as he once again reflects and tells stories about his life. Logic flows seamlessly through a verse and story as he goes along thanking everyone who supported him throughout his journey. Logic ends the song once again confirming this will be the last of the Young Sinatra mixtape series, providing us with inspiration and talking a bit about his forthcoming album "Ultra 85." A great way to summarize this album and Logic's life.
+1.5

Logic's "YSIV"

Raw Score: 14/14
Quality Score: 18.5/14
Playback Value: 5/5

Logic has redeemed himself from that lackluster "Bobby Tarantino II" mixtape. The content beat selection (with the exception if the third verse on "ICONIC"), and flows were all on point on this project. One thing that really makes this project stand out is the transitions and how one song sets up the next somehow. The seamless transitions amongst the songs give this mixtape more playback value in my eyes because it's simply one continuous theme and vibe over fourteen songs. The standout songs in my eyes are "Thank You" featuring Lucy Rose & The RattPack, "Street Dreams II," "Legacy" and "Last Call." Overall this is a strong project from Logic and an appropriate bounce back from "Bobby Tarantino II." Go stream Logic's "YSIV" today on your favorite streaming platform. Also, don't forget to follow OLDMLK.com on Instagram @OLDMLK!