BY ALTUĞ KARAKURT (EE/III)
altug.karakurt@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
This week I want to introduce you to two of my favorite rap artists, who are overlooked and deserve much more recognition. I discovered them recently and have been playing their albums back to back on repeat for the last few months. I think they have a lot to offer to both dedicated hip-hop fans and also those discovering the genre.
Logic
Logic is a very ambitious rapper from Maryland, USA, in his mid-twenties. Despite his youth, he has already gained widespread recognition in the underground hip-hop scene and has recently started appearing in the mainstream. His style covers a very wide spectrum of hip-hop, from very entertaining, memorable partying tracks to old-school, lyrical ones with a ’90s vibe. In the four mixtapes he released, he proved his skill at switching between styles and his ability to deliver high-quality content, regardless of the direction he is going for. While this is a sign of his talent, it also keeps these releases from being cohesive. Harmony throughout an album is generally a very important aspect for me, but in the case of Logic’s mixtapes, I found it quite interesting to see him switching between very different styles of hip-hop and still keeping the quality so high.
After his mixtapes, Logic released two official albums, “Under Pressure” in 2014 and “Incredible True Story” in 2015. I listened to both a few times and didn’t enjoy them as much as I did his earlier releases. The albums were much more focused and Logic’s style and lyrical skills were much more mature, but apparently the diversity of the earlier recordings was the real attraction for me. I don’t think there are many other records that have samples from Nas, Frank Sinatra and soundtracks along with influences from artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake at the same time. As Logic says himself on the opening track of his third mixtape, he has no recipe for his music. The structure and narrative style of almost every song is very different and creative in its own way.
Another aspect of Logic’s artistry that I really like is the style of his lyrics, which are not dumbed down, but are still very approachable. He is able to write lyrics that are profound yet not drowned in too many references and metaphors. Thanks to this accessibility, it is possible to understand the lyrics and the references in a single listen and follow the story, which is not the case for the majority of narrative rappers. This is one of the reasons why I think Logic’s mixtapes are very suitable for listeners who are trying to get into hip-hop.
Atmosphere
Atmosphere is a hip-hop duo, composed of the producer Ant and MC Slug, from Minnesota, USA. They have been active since 1989, but I discovered them only recently through their latest albums “Southsiders” and “The Family Sign.” I have played these two albums in the background while studying hundreds of times during the last few months, and I’m still enjoying them. Atmosphere’s lyrics are a little more complex than Logic’s, but still very accessible, which makes their music good for casual listens.
The lyrical themes and literary style are quite characteristic of the duo, but in terms of production, Atmosphere is very versatile, again not sticking to a single song structure or recipe. One of Ant’s greatest talents is his ability to compose tracks that are very dense and relatively complex for a hip-hop beat and still manage to keep them as backing tracks behind Slug’s vocals. Some of the productions are based on light, chill piano phrases, while others feature layered synthesizers and drum machine beats. They even have an actual electric guitar lead on “January on Lake Street,” which is a very rare instance in a hip-hop song.
In terms of lyrics, Slug generally talks about his personal experiences and offers his reflections on the everyday lives of average people. Themes such as friendship, relationships and his connection with fans occur very frequently, and the style he employs while narrating these makes the tracks quite enjoyable. Some of my favorites in terms of lyrics are “Not Another Day,” on the growing pains of a teenager; “Became,” on the drug addiction of a friend; and “Flicker,” on his grief for his late best friend, the rapper Eyedea.
If you are looking for refreshing, chill, but satisfyingly complex hip-hop with dense lyricism and confident flow, definitely check out Atmosphere.