Released: 2017
“Everybody” by Logic is a persuasive commentary on society’s intricate dynamics surrounding race, identity, and self-perception. The song dissects the rapper’s concrete experiences as a biracial individual, navigating a societal construct often obsessed with black-and-white perspectives – all while advocating for human-level unity. He tells his story with masterful lyricism, offering listeners a profound reflection on universal human experiences.
The track opens with Logic asserting his return to the hip-hop scene, an admonition for “Hollywood” pretenders to back off. These lines signify his intention to bring authenticity back into an industry marred by superficiality. He’s highlighting the disconnect between real-world struggle and the glossy facades of the celebrity culture. He emphasizes this with lines like “Everything ain’t what it seem like.”
Logic then zooms into his personal experiences, depicted vividly in the dramatic tableau of a young child (Little Bobby, his childhood moniker) wielding a “hammer” (slang for a gun). Hints of desperation and despair mar these lines as he grapples with the harsh realities of his upbringing. The line “Before the popo get the gun” conveys the ever-present tension from police surveillance in marginalized communities.
Delving into the recurring chorus “Everybody people, everybody bleed”, Logic underscores the basic human similarities that bind us together, despite external markers of race or class. This is his exclamation point, his shoutout to universal human experience – love, need, and awareness.
The verse “In my blood is the slave and the master” is a profound reflection of his biracial identity. He’s caught in the crossfires of racial dynamics, being light-skinned, and belonging to both the oppressed and oppressor lineage. The last lines of this verse directly counter the absurdity of ‘white privilege’ where Logic grew up being told he “should be ashamed to be black”, while also facing rejection from black peers. This tug-of-war forms the cornerstone of his experience, and he boldly shrugs it off, expressing his indifference to societal judgment, with a resilient, “I don’t give a fuck.”
In the final verse, Logic, once again, reiterates his comeback, circling back to the original theme. His intention here isn’t merely to ‘act’ as the Hollywood cliques do, but to redefine ‘acting’ in his veritable, stand-up manner – being real, being honest, and more importantly, being unapologetically himself. Overall, “Everybody” is more than a song, it’s a piercing social commentary woven with Logic’s candid storytelling.
