Logic, the rapper born Robert Hall, is considered one of the best white emcees in contemporary hip-hop. Along with artists such as G-Eazy and Jack Harlow, since the early 2010s, Logic has delivered quality hip-hop and has garnered much respect within the culture.
Unlike many of his rap peers, Logic’s career growth was undeniably organic. The rapper’s 2010 debut mixtape, Young, Broke & Infamous, was the project that first put him on the map and from there, he continued to grow.
The rapper first turned heads with his Young Sinatra mixtape series between 2011 and 2013, all released through VMG. Not dissimilar to Lil’ Wayne’s The Carter mixtapes, people were on the edge of their seats in anticipation of Logic’s mixtapes. With so much talent, and having built such a cult following, it was inevitable that hip-hop tastemakers would soon catch wind of the young rapper, and they did. His third volume of Young Sinatra, entitled Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever, secured the rapper a record deal with Def Jam, and from there, he began working on a debut album.
Logic’s debut album, Under Pressure, would go on to debut at number four on the Billboard 200, and his career continued to gain steam. In 2017, the Maryland rapper hit a new high with the release of his third studio album, Everybody, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and the album’s third single ‘1-800-273-8255’ was certified platinum 5× by the RIAA.
However, it would be on Logic’s fifth studio album, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, where his track ‘Homicide’ would appear featuring none other than the legendary Detroit rapper Eminem. In this article, we’re going to go behind the mic to explore how, when and where this legendary 2019 track was made.
Produced by the production trio BREGMA, Logic’s ‘Homicide’ was the first commercially released track that they were assigned following their production deal with Def Jam. Comprised of producers Beau, Uribe and Donnii, in an interview with Genius, Uribe revealed that the beat was made across their three different laptops.
Admitting how much he was struggling to record a melody, Uribe admitted, “That day, I could not make a beat to save my life! I could not make a melody! I could not make a bassline, I could not do ANYTHING!”. He continued, “So when I do that, being a drummer before producing, I’m like ‘Cool, I’ll just make some drums!'”
Explaining how the trio help each other if there are shortcomings, Donnii explained, “Usually, we facilitate what one person might not be able to fill. I know if put this they’re gonna think ‘this might be cool’, we always give each other creative input.” Donnii describes how a boom-bap drum-loop given to him by the Dutch producer, Shroom, was added underneath the to provide texture to the track. Beau detailed how when the drums were finished, the track was passed on to him and that he actually sampled a voice note of him barking for the track.
Recorded at Visionary Music Group’s studios, ‘Homicide’ is very simple and features very few instruments. The song sees Eminem and Logic taunting new-school rappers for their mumble delivery and reliance on autotune. The lyrics also reference the frequent use of ghostwriters in hip-hop.
The third single from Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, ‘Homicide’ reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Logic’s second top ten hit. It did not reach the top ten in the UK. However, the album at number one on the Billboard 200. It did not do so well internationally. In a 2020 interview with Complex, Logic detailed how the two rappers actually came up with the track’s concept while Logic was touring with Eminem.
You can listen to ‘Homicide’ below and watch an interview with Bregma in which the production team explain the process of making the instrumental for this epic track.
