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Less than a year after the release of Vinyl Days Logic is back at it again with another full-length rap album. This release certainly caught me by surprise, but given Logic’s passion for his craft I suppose I should have expected a new release sooner than I would have personally liked. This is the twelfth album from Logic and is also his first published under his own independent label Three Oh One Productions.

With a total of seventeen tracks, there’s quite a lot to discuss. The album starts off with “Cruisin’ Through the Universe.” I like the concept behind this song though the very overt tongue-in-cheek humor may not work for everyone. Logic has a dream about collaborating with RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, while simultaneously featuring a somewhat bland verse from the artist himself.

The production does a lot here and helps to sell that dreamlike atmosphere. While it’s not a particularly standout track, I think it does help to identify the core theme of this album, which is the pursuit of your dreams. It also introduces the main storyline, which features Logic and his friends driving around College Park, Maryland before a concert.

This first half of the album is very introspective in nature. The second track “Wake up” has some decent reflective verses from Logic discussing his own past and how he has grown more appreciative of his success. He also offers some brief commentary on social issues. None of this is delivered poorly, but this song felt as though it was retreading ideas Logic has already explored in other work.

The follow-up song “Lightsabers” discusses similar issues, but has a much more interesting structure. The unifying metaphor of Lightsabers is utilized effectively to convey his thoughts. Additionally, the fantastic instrumentals and beat switches combined with a great closing verse from C Dot Castro make for a fun listen.

Next up is “Clone Wars III”  a song that I hated on my initial listen. It’s an extremely corny song and features some goofy lines and a skit that takes up most of the runtime. However, after listening to the verse again I recognized that’s somewhat the point. The song is about self-acceptance and embracing even the parts of your own personality that others might find silly. At this point in his career, Logic’s goal is simply to be content making music even if it’s not the most complex or emotionally deep. That’s something I can respect.

“Redpill VII” sees Logic diving deep into his mental health struggles. I always appreciate bringing attention to this topic but unfortunately, the execution here is sporadic. There are a lot of bars that missed the mark over the multiple verses, but some are certainly high quality. I was left feeling mixed on both this song and the follow-up transitional piece “Playwright” which I felt lacked enough substance to stand on its own.

Moving on, Logic brings many of his friends into the next song “Gaithersburg Freestyle.”  While it has a great beat and some competent flows from the cast, the verses are exceedingly generic and lack much in terms of punchlines or wordplay to retain replay value for me. “Insipio” is another song that fails to give me much of anything and feels like it could have easily been cut. “Self Medication” stands out simply for the beautiful Sinatra adjacent vocals from Seth MacFarlane that feel quite appropriate given Logic’s love of the legendary singer.

“Shimmy”  features Joey Bada$$ who delivers a decent verse that is far from his best. The song as a whole felt a bit simplistic. “Paradise II” is an interesting track, but I felt could have used additional verses to really get the messages across. “Come on Down”  is a short but sweet song about the pursuit of success in the rap industry. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, since it has a catchy hook, great delivery, and is trying to be something more than a song you can blast in the car or at a party.

Logic delivers some interesting commentary on substance abuse with “Village Slum” but the message as a whole soon becomes muddied with the following track called “Highlife.” This one seems to contradict most of what he warns against in the previous song and again was another miss for me in quality.

The last three songs see the conclusion of the storyline being told. Logic and company arrive at the concert and perform. Then the story jumps into the present for the closing song “Lightyear.” In it, Logic illustrates some charming parallels between his past and future while again resolving to move forward with self-acceptance.

Is it all a little bit cheesy? Sure, but I appreciate how it all ties the songs together in the end. There is clearly both a vision and a clear message that Logic is communicating with this album. Although it falters slightly at points, on the whole, I think he does it well enough. It’s rare that a rap album can leave you with a smile on your face and that’s where I think College Park really shines.

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College Park

14.99

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Fantastic production
• Some solid introspective tracks
• Fun storyline and tone

Cons

• Some tracks miss the mark
• Lacks depth in places