Over the past few days, the entire hip hop community has speculated about who the mysterious Logic affiliate Doctor Destruction is. While there’s no definite information on his true identity, a slew of subtle hints and messages point to that he’s Bobby himself. This Friday, Doc (Logic’s alter ego) released his debut album, Planetory Destruction, exclusively on DatPiff and YouTube. With top-notch features from Ghostface Killah, Del The Funky Homosapien, and many more, will this new era of Logic’s career turn into his most memorable yet?
After being only a few tracks into the tape, it’s clear Planetory Destruction was heavily influenced by the late MF DOOM. While in the past, Logic has received hate for biting off styles from names like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, and Travis Scott, what he does here is entirely different. He’s not mocking or impersonating DOOM, he’s adapting his blueprint to fit this new character he has created. Although both egos play the role of an anti-hero, that’s pretty much where their similarities end. The main thing that separates Bobby from Destruction is Doc’s toned down vocal presence, which makes him appear much more menacing. The self-titled track “Planetory Destruction” is one of the best examples of this as his dark infused vocals are used to layer the signature flow, and cadence Young Sinatra is known for. Hearing the Maryland rapper in this element is quite interesting, and aside from his farewell album No Pressure, cuts like “Green Juices” and “Outer Space Gang” contain some of his most refreshing performances in years. With so much new material to take in, it can definitely be overwhelming trying to understand this new side of Logic, but fortunately, there’s a handful of interludes that build context around the record. One thing we learn through the four “Cosmos 105.7” skits is that Doctor Destruction is from 70 years in the future. He’s a “superhuman” who can do outrageous things such as travel through time and also mock any rapper’s voice and style (hence the explanation for the featured artists being present). Ideas like these are pretty exciting, and seeing this well thought out creativity unfold is super refreshing in a genre where a lot of the material has become very stale. Established after the bitterness seen all over “Better Text Back,” Doc D’s main goal is to destroy the entire universe with his raps. With an evil plan like this, it makes you wonder what the villain’s motive behind all this really is. Unraveled on the track “Backstory,” this moment of sorrow shows a more conscious version of this persona as he explains how being dumped by an ex-lover named Sharon has brought him to the lifeless and cold-hearted state he is at today. Between the well-crafted cooky concept, intuitive vocal presence, and an overall cohesive artistic direction, this project does more than enough when it comes to laying out the groundwork for an experience like no other.
On the ladder portion of this record, the narrative loosens up a bit, but the overall quality of the tracks stay pretty consistent. We see Doc sound most similar to his traditional self on the boom-bap era-inspired posse cut “Back To The Basement”. Here, Logic brings his most clever lines and intricate rhyme schemes to compete with both RattPack members like Big Lenbo and Shy Grey while also sparring with unknown aliases like Se7nth Assassin and Tony Tone. Building on the competitive nature of this cut, “20 Million Woolongs” ups the ante as Doc is matched against Punch, where the Top Dawg Entertainment president converses with the evil mastermind about possible payments for carrying out some intergalactic bounties. Contrary to these well-depicted hip-hop sci-fi thrillers, there’s a few songs near the ending that would have been better left on the drawing board. “Butt-A**-Naked” was honestly an uncomfortable listen due to its saturation of vividly over the top sexual bars. Topping this off with the even grosser features from Marc Rebillet and the unknown Black Chocolate, this disastrous only saving grace becomes it’s neo-soul based instrumental. Moving towards the inner side of emotions, “Ready Player Gun” is one of the more mixed bags on the project as it attempts to take a dark dive into the tormented mindstate that Sharon left D in, but its recurring topical inconsistencies water down nearly all tensions. Out of the entire 17 song tracklist, the Ghostface Killah and Del The Funky Homosapien collaboration “Bounty Law” is the pinnacle of what the whole project is about. The Destruction persona is on full blast, and between the well-covered depiction of mischief in space and the mind-boggling verse from Del and supplemental flair from Ironman himself, this is rap music at its finest. As a whole, Doctor Destruction gracefully reinvents Logic into a new MC that can potentially be utilized for years and years to come.
On the sonic side of the LP, Logic takes control to compose the perfect score. From the glitchy “Intro” to the final playout, “Death of Destruction”, each song contains a well-designed soundscape that near perfectly accomplices the direction of the record. Another minor touch that takes the experience miles is the hilarious radio personality who Logic plays (known as Buck Naked) through various skits and tracks. Hearing him broadcast what Doc Destruction is doing as the tape progresses adds some much-needed context while not feeling forced at all. When it comes to the beats themselves, most of them feel pretty atmospheric and spacey at the surface but are layered with boom-bap drum patterns to add the aspect of hardcore hip hop. This is highlighted on “Better Text Back” and “Back To The Basement,” which capture these ideals in two completely different ways. “Backstory” was a definite standout as it samples the iconic Joey Bada$$ single “Waves” and lathers its baseline up with some abstract samples and sonic uncertainties. Another jaw-dropping moment is the entirely instrumental “Double Sample,” which showcases the 31-year-old going J Dilla mode as he flips two classic soul ballads into a sweet two and a half minute interlude. After producing nearly the entire album, it’s clear Logic’s production skills have gotten marginally better, and he can truthfully compete with some of today’s top beatmakers.
After going into retirement, I never really wanted Logic to rap again until now. Moving away from the mainstream titan, everyone knows and loves him as he was really able to go into his own space and create something more creative than ever. Doctor Destruction is a joy to listen to, and between his fantastic presentation and expansive development, I only want more. Although Planetory Destruction suffers from a few minor flaws, it’s a one of a kind journey that I hope Logic can expand and build on!
Rating: 7.5/10
Pros:
- Doc D is super interesting and memorable
- Creative concept
- Great production
- Mysterious aura adds many layers
- Well placed features
Cons:
- Slightly corny at times
- Few moments derail the experience
