Logic - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

If nothing else, Logic is a storyteller. If you missed Supermarket, the 2019 novel he authored-or its accompanying soundtrack album-you’d still understand this by the range of characters the MC will embody over the course of an album. He cycles through perspectives so frequently on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, the official follow-up to 2018’s YSIV, that it can be difficult to discern whether he is telling his own truth or that of one of his characters. He talks frequently of the lifestyle a successful rap career has afforded him (“Pardon My Ego,” “Icy,” “Still Ballin”), but also takes time to lambaste those lusting after fame (“Wannabe,” “clickbait”) and the facets of popular hip-hop culture he’s subverted (“Cocaine,” “Don’t Be Afraid to Be Different”).

The guest list is by and large heavy hitters of rap (Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa, G-Eazy, Will Smith), and Logic manages to accommodate all of their varied personas with bars that maintain the vibes while also preserving his reputation as a proud rap technician. There are of course the classic, earnestly aspirational Logic-isms-“Put your ego on the shelf and remember, love yourself,” he says on the title track-but nowhere does the MC sound more comfortable than when in full-on flex mode on “BOBBY,” where he can’t help but declare, “I’m a f**kin' genius.”