The seeking melodies and blistering anthems that saved The Incredible True Story from itself appear first on WTF in the form of “925,” “Feel Good,” and the “I Am the Greatest” prequel, “Ballin.” Logic’s beloved blend of hip-hop references and sci-fi nerdom comes out first on Dizzy Wright-assisted “Young Jedi.” Though Welcome to Forever sounds ever jazzier than TITS, Logic still delivers the vocal warm-up for “City of Stars” on “Break It Down.” On “Randolph Returns,” Logic assures fans he could never sell out, and time and time again he has admitted that his major label debut was made with the form of “traditional hip-hop” in mind. Under Pressure’s “Intro” plays like a soulful and pensive reprise of “Man of the Year.” Even the anxiety that is laden within his Marty Randolph skits speaks to the overall sonics of Under Pressure. Thematically, we hear the caustic autobiography of Under Pressure on “5AM,” “Nasty,” and “Common Logic / Midnight Marauders,” a track that alludes to the A Tribe Called Quest narrative device framing Logic’s debut.

There are small admissions of this throughout the tape: “This the type of shit I used to prophesize” on “Life Is Good,” “ I'm finna blow like Hiroshima, my demeanor get meaner / Watch me elevate to arenas” on “Roll Call,” and the entirety of “The Come Up.” On Welcome to Forever, there’s a special synthesis of the music that raised Logic, paired with the music he can’t live without, paired with the music he would go on to make with the added help of label funds and maturity. Even his latest penchant for fitness comes from a desire to stick around-for himself, his music, and his future family. From 2009 to 2018, the man has been obsessed with legacy. He prefaces his 2014 interview with Complex by asserting that he’ll be in the rap game for the next 10 years, and if Logic were writing this, there would be a pause, followed by a smile, followed by a gleaming, “At least.” In a lot of ways, “Forever” is Logic’s buzzword.

With that, the most admirable quality about Logic, both within this tape and across his career, is his certainty. Five years in hip-hop is 50 years in almost any other profession, and when you glance at the tracklist and see names like Kid Ink and Trinidad Jame$, you’re reminded of simpler times, back when XXL cyphers didn’t spark conversations about domestic violence and the ethical consumption of music. Beats range from the classic crunchy boom bap Logic loves to skate over to glimmers of ringtone rap, to synths leads straight from the fledgling playbook of prolific in-house producer, 6ix. So much of Welcome to Forever is a time capsule.

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