BEST NEW TRACKS: LOGIC - 1-800-273-8255 (FEAT. ALESSIA CARA & KHALID)

Chilling, morbid, but tinged with encouragement, 1-800-273-8255 is a thought-provoking release by American musician, Logic. We Are: The Guard takes a good, hard listen at this loaded track that has no shortage of heavy material.

LOGIC - 1-800-273-8255

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, known professionally as Logic, didn’t grow up in the most ideal circumstances. With his parents suffering from addiction and siblings dealing drugs, Logic managed to produce several mixtapes that catapulted his career into a signing with the prestigious Def Jam Records.

Developing from chance meetings with fans, who often told Logic how his music saved their lives, 1-800-273-8255 became a deliberate anthem for those contemplating the taboo topic of taking one’s life. During an interview with Genius, Logic claims the track was a concerted effort to touch upon the idea of suicide and seeking help by calling this particular number, which of course is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. “Who really wants to write a song about suicide?”

As heavy as the lyrics are, they are relatable and as wholesome as a song about suicide can get. With the response of “I want you to be alive,” everything seems to be put into perspective. We have all seen hip hop tracks get slapped with a parental warning, but not for talking about something like this. In the light of vapid hooks about the extravagance life of those who have “made it,” this is a rap track for the 99 percent who often suffer through poverty or live less than perfect lives. If there is a genre for emo-rap, this one would number one with a bullet.

Logic’s rhythmic delivery, accompanied by the soothing vocals of Alessia Cara, and heart-wrenching finale from Khalid work well together to produce a song that is much more at home on a pair of headphones than blasting on a car stereo. It is hard not to commend Logic’s effort to create more progressive, message heavy hip-hop. Hard to digest, but this one is essential food for the soul.