The year is 2093 and the world as we know it is has ended. Our story takes place in a spaceship, the only home known to travelers Quentin Thomas and William Kai. The album begins with the proclamation that local Maryland rapper Logic’s first album Under Pressure now falls under the category of “Oldies,” and how this new album, The Incredible True Story, was the one that changed everything. “That’s why it’s so important,” Thomas says as the first song, “Contact,” concludes.

Logic starts strong with “Fade Away,” one of the catchier songs on the album, claiming that his name will be remembered until it (logic as a virtue) fades away. From the beginning, Logic makes it clear that this album is his mark on the world; people are still going to remember him and play it even after the world ends.

Logic is incredibly upbeat throughout the album, almost constantly mentioning how he lives for himself and his own happiness. He mentions in his song “Upgrade” how the key to his success was gaining control and piloting his own life.

“White People,” “The Cube,” “Babel,” and “Lucidity,” are four songs on the album that are solely “scenes,” and contribute to the album’s story through dialogue between Thomas and Kai. Listeners find out that all life on Earth ended in 2064, and humans are searching for a planet known as “Paradise,” a lush world that could sustain life just as well as Earth could. Many of the songs also include dialogue between the two characters at their endings, providing precise conclusions and smooth transitions to the subsequent songs.

The storytelling element of the album could have been genius, but there is little to no elaboration on why life on Earth came to an end, nor was there much development on how life is being sustained. “Babel” implies the existence of some sort of space station that sustains life, but that is all the information that is given. The album does not need to be plot heavy, however, Logic comes right off the bat asserting that this would certainly be one for the history books. Not only does the album lack the ability to tell an adequate story when there is clearly one to tell, but it lacks lyrical substance as well. An album preaching its definite greatness should be able to back up its claims. 

The album as a whole was not bad; Logic had superb beats, as usual, and conveyed lyrical expertise in many of his songs, demonstrating clever word play and well-polished flow. However, the latter was in no way consistent. It was not uncommon to hear a few lines that seemed rushed and unrefined, a disappointment when surrounded by quality music.