The Incredible True Story

Untitled

The Incredible True Story is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Logic. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Visionary Music Group, distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place upon the completion and the release of Under Pressure from late 2014 to early 2015. The album saw extensive production by Logic, along with a variety of contributors such as 6ix, Stefan Ponce, Sir Dylan, Syk Sense, OZ and DJ Dahi. The album also saw limited appearances from guest vocalists with Big Lenbo, Lucy Rose, Dria and Jesse Boykins III being credited with guest appearances. Its release was preceded by the promotional singles, "Young Jesus", "Like Woah" and "Fade Away". Each song was released to coincide with a three-week delay.

The Incredible True Story has been characterized as an experimental musical work, with particular attention drawn to the running storyline detailed within the album. It incorporates elements inspired by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, including its non-linear storytelling, the satirical subject matter discussed between the characters, and its introduction of 20th century score pieces typically seen deployed by Tarantino. Logic translated the storyline sonically by introducing scenes within the album, as well as offcuts within songs to help establish plot and context. Initial promotion of The Incredible True Story included worldwide video projections of the album's music and live television performances, as well as The Incredible World Tour.

The Incredible True Story received generally positive critical reception from critics, who commended Logic's increased involvement in the album's production and its direct nature and unique direction. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and sold 135,000 album-equivalent units and 118,000 copies in its first week.

Background

Plot

By 2023, Japan and the United States merge to create a super-nation to combat famine, depleted resources and the increasing extinction in animals caused by the amplification of pollution. As the leaders in world science, the conjoined nation are able to create genetically engineered meat that is enhanced and grown in an unconscious state, which is then slaughtered for consumption. They decide that the quickest way to distribute the food to a worldwide scale is through China, as China interlinks with other first world countries in Europe and Oceania. China then use their newly found power to their advantage, often overpricing the conjoined nation for its distribution route through the country. This prompts the conjoined nation to contact Russia, who have displaced democracy in favor of a royal family. The conjoined nation enters into a working agreement with Russia to assassinate the President of China, in exchange for Russian occupation of Alaska, which the conjoined nation reluctantly agrees to. Soon after, the President of China is assassinated, and is replaced by the country's vice president.

Following the successful assassination, a secret treaty is to be agreed upon between the conjoined nation and Russia, to formally hand over Alaska. As soon as the Russian King arrives, however, he dies due to cardiac arrest at 59, which calls off the treaty. The Prince of Russia hears of the news and immediately suspects the conjoined nation, declaring war by firing nuclear missiles to land inhabited by the conjoined nation. As a result of the nuclear attack, the world's oceans become poisoned, forcing the remaining first world countries to move to and operate within free land in the Midwestern United States, alongside the Great Lakes. Dubbing the new city "Babel", they worked to purify the Earth's oceans, hoping to eradicate the issues that had arose from the nuclear attacks.

A chemical is soon created, which adequately purifies the water to make it fit for human consumption on a wide scale. Following the creation of this chemical, billions of people begin to die, leaving scientists dumbfounded at the situation. Babel soon decreases from billions in population, to millions. It is later revealed that the genetically engineered meat previously created by the conjoined nation, reacted to form an inharmonious solution with the purified water. As the remainder of Babel worked out the rate at which humans are dying, the decision is made for the rest of the city's population to dissipate from Earth. By 2065, the residents work to create the Babel Space Station, which holds the 5 million remaining inhabitants, and left Earth in search of a similar planet.

The album follows Quentin Thomas, William Kai, and Thalia, who are listening to "The Incredible True Story" on their way to Paradise. They use the album as a backing track to the queries they have on life, often contemplating the point of finding Paradise, and what it will hold should they arrive. During the journey, they enter into the vicinity of another ship, an out of the norm situation due to the Aquarius III being one of the only remaining ships in current space travel. Thomas soon instructs Thalia to hack the system, before she stumbles upon a damaged audio distress signal located in its interface. Upon opening the signal, it details Christopher Smith, a pilot from Aquarius I, in his final hours, warning future travelers to suspend their journey, and to return to where it was they came. Despite initially being shaken by the message, Thomas instructs that Aquarius III should continue. Following further travel, they arrive at a planet with similar conditions to what they were searching for, and leave the ship. The album concludes with the trio successfully landing to what is now known as Paradise.

Cast

• Steven Blum as Quentin Thomas

The captain and pilot of the Aquarius III.

• Kevin Randolph as William Kai

The first man in charge of infantry on the Aquarius III, and Thomas' partner. He was named after the AKAI MPC 2000 XL musical instrument.

• Anna Elyse Palchikoff as Thalia

The name given to a computer program that operates the Aquarius III.

• Will Poulter as Christopher Smith

The deceased captain and pilot of the Aquarius I.

• Big Lenbo as Thalia

He appears in a cameo appearance, as a demonstration of Thalia's ability to become unisex.

• Big Sean as Thalia

He also appears in a cameo appearance, as a demonstration of Thalia's ability for the user to have a conversation with anyone in recorded history.

Composition

Logic was involved with a considerable amount of the production on The Incredible True Story, a move acclaimed by contemporary music critics.

The Incredible True Story was noted for its "improvement in production" and its emphasis to be "aesthetically pleasing [in terms of the music]" in distinction to Logic's previous works. Martín Caballero of The Boston Globe calls the album a success due to the way it was able to portray itself as "polished and appealing" material, in comparison to the "overeager and overproduced nature" prevalent in his previous releases. The album also represents a significant tonal shift, with Logic exploring duality across the album, introducing a back-and-forth of lighter and darker tracks. Insanul Ahmed of Complex outlined the album's sound calling the music "some of the happiest [Logic's] ever made, but there are dark undertones to songs like "Fade Away" and "City of Stars", which [mesh] together to create something special."

The album's production and lyrics also draws some multiple comparisons to various songs within hip-hop, which can be seen on "City of Stars" and "Paradise". The former has been described as appearing extremely similar to Kanye West's "Flashing Lights", borrowing the emphasized drums inertly prevalent in West's release eight years prior. "Paradise" was deliberately crafted to resemble the sound displayed by hip hop duo, Outkast. "Paradise" openly references "SpottieOttieDopaliscious", a single from Outkast's 1998 release Aquemini. Logic had also wanted to reunite Outkast by featuring both André 3000 and Big Boi on the track, who began working as solo artists following the dissolution of Outkast. The duo were unable to participate to the song, deciding against the reunification of the group.

Promotion

Logic first announced the album on September 8, 2015, with a promotional video that said that the project would be released during fall of 2015. The video detailed Logic wearing his trademark NASA MA-1 bomber jacket, whilst being positioned inside a large spacecraft. He then proceeds to sample a loop which repeats, "I Am the Greatest", by Cassius Clay on an AKAI MPC 2000 XL music controller. Logic would soon tweet a promotional hashtag for social media usage, showcasing "its key contribution" towards the album. The hashtag were announced as TITSATOTMWSTW and was later shortened to simply TITS. The longer hashtag was in reference to the album's subtitle of "...And Transformation of the Man Who Saved The World". On October 23, 2015, the album and its tracklist was revealed on the iTunes pre-order page, showcasing an eighteen track long album, clocking in at over an hour. This showcased a slight increase in length compared to his previous album, which only boasted thirteen tracks and clocked in at under an hour.

Logic soon embarked on The Incredible World Tour in promotion of the album, travelling to various cities through the United States, as well to Europe and Canada. He also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside FaZe Banks, performing "Fade Away" to the show's studio audience.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Exclaim!	7/10
HipHopDX	3.5/5
Pitchfork	6.1/10
RapReviews.com	8/10

The Incredible True Story received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 7 reviews. David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "This is the album where it all changed, as the one they call Young Sinatra comes into his own and proves his nearly perfect debut was no isolated fluke." Martín Caballero of The Boston Globe said, "With the creative confidence to go with his considerable skills and heart, Logic crafts some polished and appealing material.... Overall, a step up for the sophomore." Julian Kimble of Pitchfork said "The Incredible True Story is a pleasant voyage to Paradise orchestrated by an artist who's earned the approval of legends from Rick Rubin to Big Daddy Kane. Logic has the tools to create music that has longevity, but has yet to unlock the characteristics that truly set him apart. If he's able to tap into that, his subsequent releases will have the impact he aspires for." Erin Lowers of Exclaim! wrote that "The Incredible True Story is Logic's best work yet, but there's still work to be done bridging the gulf between his ambition and his ability." Kellan Miller of HipHopDX stated "With every remarkable release, one can only hope that Logic will continue in this vein and not float too far into the stratosphere." Clara Wang of RapReviews.com said, "There's enough variation in energy and production to keep the listener engaged throughout, and several times there are sudden drops into another beat entirely in the middle of a song."

Commercial performance

Within the next marked chart date for Billboard, The Incredible True Story opened at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 118,000 copies and 135,000 equivalent album units in the United States in its first week. The album was able to reach past the 100,000 sales projections, and marked Logic's highest opening week sales as an artist in the US. The album also saw Logic overseeing his highest duration for an album on the chart, spending a combined 16 weeks on charts. The album also oversaw a 9% sale increase in the following weeks, selling an additional 13,000 album equivalent units by the year's end. The album also debuted at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, surpassing Under Pressure, which opened at number 2.

Alongside the album's commercial performance, two songs from within the album ("Fade Away" and "I Am the Greatest") also entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. "Fade Away" debuted at number 44, combining sales with the majority of contributions coming from the song's 1.9 million weekly streams, with 56% stemming from activity on Spotify. "I Am the Greatest" also entered, arriving at number 50, with 1.7 million streams supporting its entry into the chart. The album was soon confirmed to have sold 185,000 copies by January 2016.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Contact"	Sir Robert Bryson Hall II Stefan Ponce Patrick Wolf	Logic Ponce	2:43
2.	"Fade Away"	Hall II Gene Puerling	Logic	4:47
3.	"Upgrade"	Hall II Gilbert O'Sullivan Arjun Ivatury	6ix Logic	2:53
4.	"White People (Scene)"	Hall II		1:39
5.	"Like Woah"	Hall II Ivatury John Cameron	6ix Logic	3:52
6.	"Young Jesus" (featuring Big Lenbo)	Hall II Ivatury Leon Ressalam Renee Scroggins James Blake Robert Diggs	6ix	3:35
7.	"Innermission" (featuring Lucy Rose)	Hall II Ivatury Dylan Wiggins	6ix Sir Dylan	4:00
8.	"I Am the Greatest"	Hall II Joshua Scruggs Ozan Yildirim Christopher Bear Ed Droste Chris Taylor Daniel Rossen	Syk Sense OZ Logic	3:22
9.	"The Cube (Scene)"	Hall II		0:27
10.	"Lord Willin'"	Hall II Ivatury Wiggins	Logic 6ix Sir Dylan	3:28
11.	"City of Stars"	Hall II Ivatury Steve Hackett Jim Diamond	6ix Logic	6:16
12.	"Stainless" (featuring Dria)	Hall II Ivatury Dacoury Natche Dria Thornton Christopher Thornton	Logic 6ix DJ Dahi	3:19
13.	"Babel (Scene)"	Hall II		1:11
14.	"Paradise" (featuring Jesse Boykins III)	Hall II Wiggins Donte Perkins Sam Hardaker Henry Binns José González	Sir Dylan Logic 6ix Tae Beast	4:42
15.	"Never Been"	Hall II Charles Dumazer Lawrence Matthews Dijon McFarlane	C-Sick	4:07
16.	"Run It"	Hall II Dumazer Richard Wylie Anthony Hester	C-Sick	3:20
17.	"Lucidity (Scene)"	Hall II Khalil Abdul-Rahman	DJ Khalil	0:55
18.	"The Incredible True Story"	Hall II Ivatury Sam Barsh Jeff Gitelman Daniel Seeff Abdul-Rahman	DJ Khalil Logic 6ix	6:56
Total length:				61:52

Sample credits

• "Contact" contains elements of "Amazing" performed by Kanye West, and "Time of My Life" performed by Patrick Wolf.
• "Fade Away" contains a sample of "Deck the Halls" performed by The Singers Unlimited.
• "Upgrade" contains a sample of "Clair" performed by The Singers Unlimited.
• "Like Woah" interpolates "Liquid Sunshine" performed by John Cameron.
• "Young Jesus" interpolates "U.F.O." performed by ESG, and "Take a Fall for Me" performed by James Blake.
• "Innermission" interpolates "Life's a Bitch" performed by Nas.
• "I Am the Greatest" contains samples of "Fine for Now" performed by Grizzly Bear, and a dialogue from the "I Am The Greatest" line by Cassius Clay.
• "City of Stars" contains a sample of "Days of Long Ago" performed by Steve Hackett, and interpolates "Last Call" performed by Kanye West.
• "Stainless" contains a sample of "Backyard" performed by Travis Scott.
• "Paradise" contains a sample of "Today" performed by Zero 7 and José González.
• "Never Been" interpolates "Call on Jesus" performed by Lawrence Matthews.
• "Run It" contains a sample of "Maybe So, Maybe No" performed by Mayer Hawthorne.
• "The Incredible True Story" contains a sample of "What If Money Was No Object" performed by Alan Watts.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	43
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	105
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	196
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	7
Irish Albums (IRMA)	79
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	27
UK Albums (OCC)	47
US Billboard 200	3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)	4

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)	Position
US Billboard 200	63
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	11

Release history

List of release dates, formats, and label

Date	Format	Label
November 13, 2015	Streaming digital download	Visionary Music Group Def Jam