Warning: the following video contains explicit language

Before he blew up last summer with his Grammy nominated suicide prevention anthem “1-800-273-8255”, Logic was what many would consider a “cult” rapper. He wasn’t on the same level that Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Kanye West were, and his albums didn’t receive nearly the press that theirs did. But he had a die- hard following, and his loyal fans (including yours truly) ate up every bar he spit like it was religion.

He’s arguably one of the most talented “rappers” alive, if we’re considering his flow and wordplay. This has been evident from the first Young Sinatra mixtape he released in 2011, when he started to gain traction. He’s been hard at work ever since. He followed Young Sinatra up with Young Sinatra: Undeniable in 2012, Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever in 2013, and then his major label (Def Jam) debut Under Pressure in 2014. He followed this with his second album, the sci-fi themed Incredible True Story in 2015, mixtape Bobby Tarantino in 2016, and then his most mainstream album to date, the reflective and jam packed Everybody in 2017.

It’s been a long road leading up to his latest mixtape, YSIV (Young Sinatra 4). He remains the same talented rapper as he was seven years ago. Tracks like “Everybody Dies” and “YSIV” provide substantial evidence of this.

“1-800…” reached his fans in a more personal way than he ever had before and gained him millions of new followers. Logic makes sure to acknowledge them the first chance he gets.

The first track of YSIV is titled “Thank You” and the final four minutes is a compilation of voicemails left by his fans talking about how his music has affected their lives for the better.

This is a nice gesture, but it’s the first of many examples of an over- inflated ego that makes him seem like he hasn’t realized his place. Yes, he’s a “mainstream” artist, but he still isn’t on the level of Kanye, even though he personally thinks he is.

His track “Wu Tang Forever” reflects this. Nobody asked for an eight minute long track featuring Ghostface Killah, RZA, Method Man, U- God and all the other surviving members of the legendary 90s rap group. It’s fine as a song, but it feels like he’s trying to muscle his way into becoming one of them instead of sticking to what he is: a solo act with an unbelievable flow. He doesn’t need the Wu Tang Clan.

Speaking of Kanye, the last song on the album is titled “Last Call.” It’s an homage to Kanye’s outro on College Dropout. And once again, it just seems like he’s trying to put himself in a position he doesn’t really belong in.

He makes sure to let us know that he has clout from the giants, mainly his “peers from Drizzy to Cole to Kenny.” And he shouts out “that boy Slim Shady for all the love” because Eminem didn’t diss him on his last album Kamikaze.

Nobody thinks of him as one of the greatest of all time, and that’s not a bad thing. His following came from when he was a humble act who was just focused on making good music and being halfway successful. Now that he’s trying to throw himself into the mix with Pac and Em, it’s a little much.

The concept just feels too forced. He wants everyone to know how great he is, but his fans know this already. They didn’t need him to explain it.