If there’s one question that I’m asked the most whether it be through a tweet, comment, or DM, it’s how I know Logic or first heard of his music. I never planned on writing this piece until recently, I decided to turn it into the full story of how I started listening to him and what led up today. Throughout it all, I’ve been more than fortunate to have met some incredible people from all over the world.
At Logic's album signing in Hollywood for his album "The Incredible True Story."
It’s hard to believe it’s creeping up on 5 years since the first time I heard Logic’s music. I used to be into the YouTube gaming community, specifically Call of Duty, and I was the owner of a team called Golden. We would create montages which were pretty much videos with gameplay in which we would edit and throw a song in before uploading to YouTube. As hip-hop music being the underlying theme for music used in these videos, we’d have different artists and songs for each video. Randomly clicking away on YouTube one day, I stumbled upon a track from Logic titled “Juice”. From the second I heard this song, I was hooked. Progressively, I started to use more and more of his music in my videos. His lyricism was definitely something that stood out to me compared to others. At this point of time, for those who were/are familiar with the gaming community, an online gaming team named FaZe was also starting to heavily support Logic as well. I’ve ran into Tommy, the owner of FaZe, at one of Logic’s shows in New York City, and he’s among one of the humblest people I’ve met.
Fast forward to 2012. As a way to show my support towards Logic, I created an account on Twitter with the handle @ShitLogicSays. The purpose of the account was to tweet song lyrics, pictures, and news revolving Logic’s career. Today, the account has spread to other social media platforms such as Instagram & Snapchat with a combined reach of over 75,000 followers. With that being said, I’ve been able to meet some pretty special people. I want to specifically give a particular shout out to two people, Nanisha & Garrett. Nanisha, who is behind Logic’s official website, MindofLogic.com, has been a very important part in the growth of my account. We’ve worked together on many projects released through his website, and I’ve had to chance to meet her a couple years back in Chicago. Garrett, whom I’ve yet to meet, is behind another extremely successful page on Twitter, @LinesofLogic.
I knew from the start, before even creating the fan page, that Logic was going to be successful in whatever he put his heart into. Looking back, that’s probably the best part of it all. The growth. He’s someone I truly look up to. If anyone who is reading this isn’t too familiar with who he is as a person, just go watch any one of his interviews on YouTube. I can assure you, that is exactly how he acts in person. I found that out when we first shook hands.
One of the things that I can recall is a tweet that Logic sent out prior to his headlining ‘Welcome To Forever’ tour in 2013. It went something along the lines of “I’m streaming now! Send me your numbers, I’m calling all fans!” Obviously, I shot his a tweet. Seconds later, I get a call from a blocked number. Damn, it was Logic. Although it was a short call, the first thing he mentioned was how thankful he was for me running a fanpage for him, and that he really appreciated all the support. I told him that I’d be meeting him for the first time and seeing him perform on his tour, as it was the first time he had ever come up to this side of Canada. Before ending the call, he told me to make sure to tell him I ran SLS when we met in person.
June 8th, 2013. Seattle, Washington at The Crocodile. That was the day I met Bobby. I remember having to drive down to Seattle for the show rather than see him in my hometown, Vancouver, since I wasn’t 19 at the time and the show back home had an age restriction. I went to the show with a few friends of mine, and we had the meet & greet package so we were all set. I recall moments the moments before, we were packed in a line around the corner to meet him, and I met Logic’s security guard Kenny. That man is a beast. When it was our turn, me and my 2 friends got our pictures, some autographs, and I also got him to give my gaming team a shout out. Something I incorporated in our YouTube videos, from time to time, were shout outs from artists that I placed in the beginning of the video. Right before we left, I asked Logic to look at my phone (it was my Twitter page). He was like “God damn! That’s you who runs that?! Man, I really appreciate all your support.” That moment right there was probably one of the coolest moments I’ve experienced. Just that validation, knowing that something I put so much effort into was recognized by Logic himself. Let’s talk about the show. Damn. It was nuts. He performed in front of about 400 people, packed from the front to the back. Looking back at it, this concert was actually the second concert I had ever seen. I remember how much energy he had on stage, and his ability to interact with his fans while on stage really stood out to me. After the show, I knew that this was just the beginning to a whole lot more.
The first time meeting Logic in person at The Crocodile in Seattle, WA.
If you’re familiar with who I am, you would know that I travel. A lot. I started working for an airline in the middle of 2013, and it’s honestly changed my life. It’s the reason I’m able to travel so much because of how cheap it is to do so. I’m going to remind y’all that travelling is really what changed my outlook on many things. There are so many places around the world outside the city you live in, and I haven’t even made a mark on the places I’d like to see. If you can, travel as much as you can and as far as you can. Spending money on experiences is by far better than what any materialistic good could ever do.
I mention this because I used my travel privileges to my advantage to see Logic perform in cities across the country. I’m not going to highlight every moment leading up to today, but this is one that stands out ahead of them all. Summer of 2013. Logic announced he was going on tour that Fall with Kid Cudi and Big Sean. I saw him perform in my hometown in Vancouver as well as in Seattle, and flew to Montreal to see him for the third time that tour. Since my sister went to school in Montreal, I had a place to stay for the weekend and we both went to the show together. It was at the Bell Center, an arena that seated over 20,000 people. I remember all I cared about was having a spot in the front row, rushing to the stage seconds after the doors opened and managing to snag a spot on the very right side of the stage. Before Logic’s set, Big Lenbo spotted me in the front and we talked for a little bit before he had to set up the stage. About 10 minutes later, he came back to the front and handed me a sticker. “Hop over. Logic wants to see you.” Without even thinking, I jumped over the barricade and walked backstage. Logic thanked me once again for coming out to support him, and how much it meant to him. I remember watching his set from the side of the stage with 6ix, Lenny, and Momberg, his tour manager. About halfway into his set, after he finished performing one of his songs, this happened.
I couldn’t believe what had just happened, let alone Logic stopping his set just to personally thank me for showing him support. Standing side-stage, I was reminded that you can really do whatever you want in life. As cliché as it sounds, it’s the most accurate advice I can give. If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to do, you have to do it now. Don’t wait until tomorrow, or it’ll never happen. I snapped back to reality when I felt a light tap on my shoulder shortly after Logic bringing me out on stage. I turn around and see Big Sean.
“What up lil’ homie? My name’s Big Sean. Nice to meet you man. I see you supporting Logic like that. Respect.”
At this point, I couldn’t even figure out what was going on. The whole crew took care of me that night, and I was able to spend a good time chatting with everyone.
Outside the studio in Los Angeles, CA with Logic & Big Lenbo.
This was the first time I had visited Los Angeles. January 2014. I had tweeted something along the lines of “Logic just dropped #24Freestyle and I’m going to be in LA for the first time this week.” Minutes after, Logic replied. “You’re going to be in LA? Come to the studio and listen to the album.” Man, was that ever something special. No I.D’s studio, nestled in Studio City, was full of history. To this day, it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that Kanye recorded parts of Graduation in the same studio I had visited to hear Logic’s debut album, “Under Pressure.” It blew me away. Logic, deciding to release his first album with no features, really stood out to me. The fact that he didn’t need anyone else to tell his own story really made this album special. To this date, “Soul Food” remains as one of my favorite songs Logic has ever released.
I’m going to let these images tell the rest of the story.
Oh, how did I forget about this..
Album booklet in his debut album, "Under Pressure."
Crazy to think that tonight in San Diego, it marks the 25th time I’ve seen Logic perform. He’s currently on tour with G-Eazy, YG, and Yo Gotti and he’s selling out arenas and amphitheatres across the country. He’s now got 3 projects with Def Jam released under his belt with another one coming very soon, been on the cover of XXL as freshman, debuted as the #1 Hip-hop album on Billboard selling over 135,000 copies first week, and he’s now a married man. That doesn’t surprise me though. I knew he would amount to this level of success right from the beginning. Most importantly, since the first time I shook his hand, he’s remained the same person. Humble, down to earth, genuine, inspirational, and everything in between. Proud would be an understatement.