Lil Wayne vs. Logic: What is Hip and How Does it Hop?

October here, heard you’ve been fiending for some fat boom baps and trill skraat tats. You’re hype for YANDHI? Well, this ain’t it, chief. What we do got is two large albums by industry icons Logic and Lil Wayne. Independently, both are well-produced works of art. While I usually opt against comparing the works of widely influential artists with signature styles against each other, there is a fascinating question to be asked as a result of the comparison. What is hip-hop right now? I believe these albums present vastly different answers to that same question.

First let’s examine Logic’s “Young Sinatra IV,” or “YSIV.” Logic’s latest album is the fourth installment of the Young Sinatra series, a quadrilogy characterized by references to Logic’s past, accompanied with homages to various classical manifestations of hip-hop and music culture. This is especially true in his latest release, as Logic presents a great collaborative track with all the living members of The Wu-Tang Clan for “Wu-Tang Forever,” which heavily samples Nas’s “Life’s a Bitch” for “YSIV” the title track, and brings back 70s afro bongos; the mother of hip-hop (shoutout Bronx, NY) for the track “100 Miles and Running.” “YSIV” features lyrical delivery at ludicrous speed, talent for presenting informative and contemplative narrative over a beat, and an empowering message. Holistically, the album is a masterfully created love letter to the roots of hip-hop.  

However, I admit that the initial experience of the album was one of disappointment, possibly because none of the songs seemed to have the trap sonic aesthetic that is so popular today. All of the songs are good, no doubt, but only a select few make for good social listening.

Enter: “Tha Carter V.” This album stands as a contemporary snapshot for hip-hop. Darker, triller, every beat a killer. I really enjoy listening to “Tha Carter V,” so yes, this review is biased. It’s hard to describe what this album does that I like so much. I wasn’t even a Lil Wayne fan before it came out. It’s physically difficult for me to write this, but the album is somehow more palatable to my maturing hip-hop taste buds. This album has features of the new era, with big names like: Travis $cott, XXXTentacion, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg. There is no lack of trap music here, yet there are also great examples of fresh, genre defying sound. This is perhaps the album’s greatest strength.

These two albums are clearly very different from each other, but they are both products of hip-hop culture. In my opinion, Logic is presenting something much closer to hip-hops origins. His respect for rap calls back to the days of olde. However, Lil Wayne is working in same the context or continuity of the genre, but is presenting a less nostalgic piece. A stark point of contrast is the use of vocals, and their use as an instrument is a huge part of trap music’s appeal to me. I propose that hip-hop is no longer an accurate term to refer to music like “Tha Carter V.” Instead I might call it trap-pop, for its mass-appeal and consolidation of industry icons and their styles.