Everybody (Deluxe Edition)

Everybody (Deluxe Edition)

Maryland-born rap superstar Logic never shies away from a heady concept and knottily constructed thematic album but he ups the ante by his own lofty standards on his 2017 LP, Everybody (Deluxe Edition). Logic explained in the pre-album promotion that celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson stars as God, while San Francisco radio voice Big Von plays a protagonist named Atom. In the album’s narrative, Atom dies in a car accident and speaks with God upon getting to Heaven. God shares that his only way into Heaven is through reincarnation, and it’s eventually revealed that he has to live the life of every human being before ascending. The theme was inspired by Andy Weir’s short story “The Egg,” and much of this tale is told explicitly on the track “Waiting Room.” Logic spends the album working through these themes of redemption, eternal life, and the purpose we hold while on Earth, highlighted on album standouts like “Everybody” and “1-800-273-8255” (feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid). On the former, Logic outlines his own personal struggles with identity, which is reflected in Atom’s desire to find worth in each of the people he becomes. In Logic’s world, we’re given the form we’re given, and no one should be punished for being who they are. On “Everybody,” he raps, “White people told me as a child, as a little boy, playin' with his toys/I should be ashamed to be black/And some black people look ashamed when I rap/Like my great granddaddy didn’t take a whip to the back.” He’s a part of two worlds, and all too often, he feels alienated from both. On the Alessia Cara and Khalid-assisted “1-800-273-8255,” Logic uses the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number to remind his listeners that options are always available, no matter how hard the struggle seems. The thrust of this track, and the album as a whole, is that everybody deserves happiness and respect. “The Egg” ends with the protagonist learning that all people are incarnations of him—and that every time he does something bad, he is hurting himself, too. Logic runs with this concept, imploring his audience to treat everyone they encounter as they would want to be treated.

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