Famous Friday: LOGIC

Logic 2

Happy Birthday, Logic! The rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer whose birth name is Sir Robert Bryson Hall II turned 28 this week.

Logic was born to a black father, Robert Bryson Hall, and a white mother and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He had a very difficult and violent upbringing as both of his parents struggled with substance abuse and several of his seven siblings sold drugs. Logic says all his siblings are also multiracial, but he appears “the most white”. He was expelled from high school during his sophomore year and experimented with marijuana for a few years. His life was headed down a dangerous path.

Thankfully, Logic developed an interest in music as a young teenager and that gave his life direction and purpose. He says his inspiration to become a musician was the soundtrack from the movie Kill Bill.  He officially began his musical career in early 2009 and made his first mixtape in 2010.

He named his fourth mixtape, Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever, as interestingly he says Frank Sinatra is another one of his inspirations. As a child, his mom made shared old black and white movies with him, which inspired his love for Sinatra. Logic says what he learned from watching Sinatra helped him learn to carry and articulate himself the way he does. He says that Sinatra “showcased peace, love, grace, positivity, honor, and valor”. The success of that Young Sinatra mixtape allowed Logic to earn a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. His debut studio album Under Pressure came out the year after Young Sinatra and debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200, eventually becoming certified gold. Logic’s third studio album Everybody (2017) debuted at number one in the U.S., and included his first international top 10 single, “1-800-273-8255”, which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Early in his career, he ran in to some resistance to his messages about his young life and the impact of race.

“It’s always somebody that’s like, ‘Oh, what’s it like being a white rapper?’ ” he says. “And then I have to explain to them, like, no, I’m actually black and white. I’m biracial. Just so you know. Let’s move on.”

Logic and his musician wife Jess Andrea Logic are happily married for about two years now and live in Los Angeles. Logic also has a great YouTube channel where he posts videos about his favorite video games.

 

-Karson Baldwin, Project RACE Teens Co-President