His prior mixtapes had dealt heavily with his biracial heritage, but he changed his focus from race to culture on the album. Its title Under Pressure reflects the challenges of Logic's private life and rap career, while also referencing his belief that the album is 'his diamond', as diamonds are formed by pressure. On the advice of Don Cannon, he chose to maintain the album's personal theme by omitting guest appearances. Several people advised Logic to make the album more personal than his mixtapes, inspiring him to write about his difficult upbringing in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In 2013, Logic moved to Los Angeles to work on his debut album with Def Jam's No I.D., a mentor he later compared to Yoda. Visionary Music Group, an independent label run by Logic, managed and funded his audio mixing, mastering, touring, and commissioning of album art. According to Logic, the largest contributing factor to his rise to stardom was that he 'hit the road and actually saw face to face and shook their hands.' He signed with Def Jam five months after the release of his Young Sinatra mixtape in 2011 a deal kept secret until 2013 because he 'didn't want the fans to be like, 'Oh, he's going to change!'' Logic has metaphorically described Def Jam as his 'bank', which does not interfere with his creative control or deal much with his publicity. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 2020.īetween 20, Logic released four free mixtapes online and funded his own tours, through which he built his fanbase and reputation.

The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 72,000 copies in its first week. It was also named one of the best albums of 2014 by several publications.

Under Pressure received generally positive reviews from critics, drawing particular attention to Logic's bluntness in his storytelling, its perceptive lyricism, and the album's toned-down production, resembling the ever-changing production of rap and hip hop releases of the 1990s.

The standard edition of the album contained no guest appearances Big Sean and Childish Gambino were featured on the album's deluxe edition. The album's production was primarily handled by No I.D., with smaller contributions from a variety of record producers, including 6ix, DJ Dahi, DJ Khalil, S1, Jake One and Dun Deal. Development and composition of the album began in 2013, with recording taking place during a two-week span at the beginning of 2014. It was released on October 21, 2014, by Visionary Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. Under Pressure is the debut studio album by American rapper Logic.

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