Following his album No Pressure in late 2020, rapper Logic announced his retirement and left his fans waiting for more. Despite this, he soon came back into the spotlight, releasing three more albums since then including Bobby Tarantino III in 2021, Vinyl Days in 2022. His latest album, College Park in the 17 tracks of the album includes with unusual samples and collaborations with a diverse cast of voice actors and artists

Released on Feb. 24, College Park goes through the timeline during Logic’s debut appearance at College Park, Maryland in 2011. It documents the ups and downs of his experiences leading up to the concert and reflects on the emotions he was feeling during and after his performance after accomplishing his dream of performing onstage.

Although the album is the story through Logic’s eyes, he also collaborates with various artists to make College Park  different. Many members of an old gang called the “RattPack” , which Logic was a part of, come back to help Logic through the journey, like members Big Lenbo and C Dot Castro. But in addition with many other artists such as RZA, Lucy Rose, Joey Bada$$, Norah Jones, and Seth MacFarlane, this album creates an interesting mixture of vocals and beats compared to Logic’s previous works.

To start album, Logic uses a mellow tone and an enthusiastic hip-hop rhythm feel in “Cruisin’ Through the Universe”. This song begins with a soft acoustic guitar solo accompanied by echoed vocals before transitioning into a hard drum beat. The piece has an interesting start that gives the feel of being in a dream, which is then taken away by RZA, who proceeds to go on a rapping spree. At the end of the song, Logic is literally woken up from this dream by his friend Big Lenbo to start the trip to his first performance.

Although the beginning of the album starts pretty slow and calm, the third track of the album”Lightsabers” showcases more of an enthusiastic vibe that talks about having a good day and living up to your dreams. Lyrics like “I hope you don’t give up your dreams for a nine-to-five… But if you don’t love your job, tell me, what’s the point?” give the message that we all have dreams that we want to accomplish but we should commit to them instead of resorting to a job that only pays the bills.

Another notable song, is on the eighth track called “Insipio”. Beginning with a unique beat, Logic casually raps about how his career in music has changed his life from being homeless to a world-renowned artist earning millions. He then transitions into a smooth jazz ambiance with dialogue about how every day we live is a blessing.

Coming from an impoverished childhood and upbringing in Maryland, Logic puts most of his efforts through music to make people realize that they are fortunate for what they have at the moment while also addressing societal issues. This is what makes his music interesting— the music has a voice, but is still catchy and something that will be stuck in your head.

The songs “Ayo” and “Highlife” underline the feelings of being with your loved ones and relaxing instead of dealing with people that you dislike. Logic stresses the importance of being happy and doing what you love instead of listening to haters that put you down. In the 16th song “Ayo”, he vocalizes “Cause I’ma get mine, I’ma do me, have a good time, everybody gon’ see”, reflecting back to how he wants to feel and how he felt when he was starting in the rap industry, trying to make the most out of every day.

The last track of the album “Lightyear” gave a different message compared to the rest of the album, with a calming hip-hop style piano riff. It takes the perspective not from his younger self, but from the present, and talks about not changing despite being famous. He describes how he has become older and wiser while adapting to the public eye and has learned that despite who you are, you have to care for your loved ones first. Logic reflects how becoming famous can be a curse but also a blessing depending on how you use it for yourself and everyone around you.

Overall College Park still sheds that 2010s hip-hop feel of his older albums like Under Pressure (2014), The Incredible True Story (2015), and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2019) while displaying a new message of happiness and maturity in his lyrics. Fans of Tyler, The Creator, Nas, and Kendrick Lamar would be the audience to fully appreciate this album. Although bearing a unique style of its own, it still shares similarities from albums like 2000 by Joey Bada$$ and Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist.

9/10