Nerd Rap At Its Finest

The Annual Freshman Class Cypher put out by XXL Magazine is something like a rap world debutante ball — a chance for the genre’s most promising hopefuls to prove their mettle in rap’s oldest battle tradition.

When the little-known Logic made XXL’s class of 2013, the response was mostly indignation. Who the hell is this guy? And why did he make the cut over, say, Chief Keef?

Logic responded quickly and fiercely. Sandwiched between Dizzy Wright and Angel Haze, the Maryland-born rapper threw down a verse encapsulating his best and most baffling traits: the hyper-speed flow and the Sinatra comparisons, rhyming Magneto with mosquito.

His coup de grace was a hip-hop theory of relativity: “E=MC squared, nah, E=eater of emcees beware.”

It’s nerd rap at it’s finest, just toeing the line between woke and wack. Soon after the cypher, Logic signed with Def Jam and delivered two full-length albums in successive years. Both records display his penchant for Kendrick Lamar-worthy technique and Drake-esque bravado.

But J. Cole might be Logic’s closest spiritual guide, namely for his positive lyrics, rapid fan base and the persistent critique that he’s completely corny. Look no further than Logic’s latest release, 2015’s The Incredible True Story. A self-described “motion picture sci-fi epic,” the album’s hardscrabble tales are backed by vocal interludes tracing a deep-space dystopian plot as told by robots and cosmonauts.

So is there some merit to the corniness claim? Sure, but it’s hard not to be swept up by Logic’s raw skill and willingness to go all in. Certainly that outsized personality and talent will have no trouble filling the big stage of the McDonald. Dizzy Wright’s lyrical dexterity should pair nicely with Logic’s own verbal gymnastics.

Dizzy Wright joins Logic 8 pm Tuesday, Feb. 9, at McDonald Theatre; SOLD OUT. All ages.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

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Thank you for standing with us!