Last Friday, Logic released the third installment to his Bobby Tarantino mixtape series, Bobby Tarintino III. Following his retirement in July of last year, the Maryland rapper kept his personal profile low while still staying fairly active from a musical standpoint with a full-length project from his alter ego Doc D, a string of tracks produced by the legendary Madlib, and an array of other singles and snippets he had released over the months. While almost everything post-retirement Logic’s done has been great so far, will this new installment to one of his most critically panned series continue to show his evolution or welcome him back to hip hop’s bottom barrel?
Listening to this LP top to bottom, it makes me ask the question, what was the point of this? The only logical explanation is that this is Logic’s last record on his Def Jam deal, so if he may have released this in an attempt to escape his deal with them. If this is the case, good for him, but no matter how smart of a business move this may be, I’m still going to roast this project as it’s filled with nothing but complete and utter mediocrity.
The record kicks off in the absolute worst way possible with the intro skit “introll” leading into the cringe of all cringe anthems, “Vaccine”. In this song’s defense, it’s J Dilla-inspired horns and minor background details that make the beat perfect for the likes of someone like Future or even J Cole, but Logic trying to make trap music is like having a parent that dresses like a teenager. From here, it’s just one garbage melodic anthem after another. Even when Logic does something good, his punctured singing and terrible hook game can make the most potent verses lose their power. The ultimate low here has to be “Flawless,” which is about Logic wanting to have unprotected sex with a female so bad, but he knows he can’t because she can’t take the power of his genitals. Seriously, the only thing that’s worse than the actual premises of this song is Logic’s attempted serenading r&b vocals. Someone, please tell this guy to stop singing.
As the record gets closer to a close, things do pick up with tracks like “Inside” and “Theme for the People”. These songs are pretty simple, from their boom-bap-based drums to their direct but hard-hitting lyricism, but Logic thrives when going back to the style that got him here in the first place. “See You Space Cowboy” was an absolute gem as it kicks off as a fast-paced braggadocios banger but then transitions into a spoken-word interlude where we find out why Logic created this disaster in the first place. The angelic finale, “untitled,” rides off the momentum of the past few tracks as we see Logic spit an emotional verse about his love for hip hop and his life as a whole. Overall, not a bad finish for such a weak project.
Walking away from Bobby Tarantino III, and I want my 33 minutes back. For our sakes, the tape isn’t as bad as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind or Supermarket, but the mediocrity and dullness this project lives in just makes it feel so pointless. Going forward, I hope Logic really did this to get out of his deal, and in the next few years, I’m sure we will be able to tell.
Rating: 3.8/10
Pros:
- Tracks where Logic was actually rapping were good
Cons:
- Pointless project
- Makes Logic look like a joke again
- Melodic anthems are trash
Written By: Mr. Fantastic
