The release of YSIV by Logic, his fourth studio album, concludes the Young Sinatra series that started in 2011 with his mixtape Young Sinatra. Five years after the release of Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever, YSIV was released on September 28, 2018. YSIV is the perfect way to put an end to the classic series. Including the three singles released-“Everybody Dies,” “The Return,” and “One Day,” there is a total of 14 songs on the album.

Logic gives off an old school vibe with his new album, rapping over beats that sounds like you’re back in the doo-wop era while also venturing into the 90’s with beats reminiscent to 2pac and Biggie Smalls. Tracks such as “Wu Tang Forever” give us a throwback, featuring all living members of the Wu Tang Clan. Logic starts off the song with his 90’s flow and gives his respect to the dead Wu Tang member, ODB, with lyrics like, “We too clever, the boom-bap’s back, harder than ever/R.I.P. O.D.B, comin’ through like Killa Bee.”

Logic pays homage to the late Big L and current rapper Jay Z with his track “YSIV,” sampling the beat “Keep It Real,” which is well known for being used for a freestyle between Jay Z and the late Big L. “Who you know worth $50 million still rapping on breakbeats? From Nasty Nas, Big L, Tribe, the Roots, and many more, Of course, we could never forget Biggie and Young Shakur.”

Overall, the album did great commercially, debuting at number 2 on the Billboards in multiple countries and surpassing the expectations of 100k copies being sold. The album also was received well by critics; Rolling Stone gave it a great review, calling the album a “motivational speech” and claiming the album has multiple “complex bars.” Fansided had lots of love to give to Logic as well, writing that “he is in an entirely different lyrical hierarchy than your once thought favorite MC,” and claiming that the long awaited album was very “worth the wait.”

This album breaks the mold of current hip-hop by delving into the genre’s past and shows that whether he spits over a new school beat or old school, Logic will always give us a classic to remember.