Logic doesn’t like the internet, specifically social media: the masses who send hate messages about it, the unmoderated horde of people who feel empowered to say “go kill yourself” to someone they consider big enough not to have a face. And Logic, better known offstage as Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, is no stranger to the agitation of comments that drive social networks; This is how he became famous, he tells me, reaching people where they were publishing their music for free online. “It was at the birth of the modern Internet. I was at the birth of social networks, “he says when we speak on the phone. Because he has sold millions of records and is, by many people’s measure, one of the greatest artists in the world right now, he has become one of those faceless people. And he knows how famous he is, although he seems to feel a little awkward to talk. (“I hate the term ‘celebrity’. It’s very annoying,” he says, and I believe him.)
But now he’s talking about it because Hall has decided to go back to social media. She signed exclusively with Twitch, where she will broadcast weekly, a set number of hours per week, which assures me that she will easily pass. “I’m not this rapper, man,” he says. “I’m just a nerd. I love video games. “Which is not surprising, not really, not when you consider how closely the worlds of rap and gaming have come together over the past thirty years.” I’m lucky to have millions of fans and fans So it’s a great partnership, “he says. “I am going to bring new eyes to your service, they are going to bring new money to my bank account and … I am joking.” But is not; He tells me that his deal with Twitch is worth seven figures.
Still, Hall says he is not doing it for the money. Anyway, he was streaming on Twitch, and he says he’s been an active user since 2015 or 2016. The other big draw for him is the moderation of Twitch overall, and the way he can customize his chat stream to block any hatred you may receive from people. just stopping. “I think it is a powerful platform that allows me to connect with my fans in the best possible way. And the safest way possible for someone in my position,” he says, perhaps a little self-conscious.
It’s a Twitter axiom that the more followers you have, the worse your experience of using the site will be, because people start to see you more as a collection of funny tweets than as a person. The rest of the social networks are the same way, because the dynamics of having followers is not so different on all platforms. (The term influencer, as you may recall, is platform neutral.) So Hall has not been attractive. “Remember Men in black? I’m like that little alien ”, he says about his activity on social networks, because he has a team that runs it, although he tells them what to publish. You have 2,347 unread text messages on your business phone. (Your “wife’s phone”, while calling your other device, is up to date). Twitch, Hall says, will be your paradise.
“This is the place where if you want to interact with me, you will do it here,” he says. He is convinced that Twitch will be a place for him and his fans to relax. “I’m not going to be on Twitch, having political debates. I’m going to be on Twitch, helping people after having a day of protests or political debates, to relax, laugh and smile. And if you want to know how I feel about the world, you listen to my music. ”
Hall seems to me to be shifting gears. “I announced my retirement from music because there came a point where I felt forced, like I had to do certain things,” he says. “And it’s not that the label has made me feel that way. I was doing it to myself, because I’m a great businessman, and I was pushing myself to the brink of madness. ” Still, he says leaving music and streaming on Twitch explicitly isn’t a new phase in his life.
“I think if I said, ‘Yeah, this is a new era,’ and all this shit, you could put it in the headline and I’d like to make it look cooler,” he says. “But it’s like, of course, a new era, but I’m not going to fool myself.” I am a musician, I will always be one. I’m still going to rap songs that probably won’t come out. ”
So it is not a new era. But it is new. This is the first official Twitch exclusive partnership with a musician; it’s the same kind of deal creators like Ben “DrLupo” Lupo and Imaine “Pokimane” Anys have. Hall’s deal with Twitch is also just the latest recognition that the music is huge on the site. Since the pandemic, Twitch has been courting DJs and musicians whose tours and shows have been canceled, and has become a hub for those creators and their fans. Entering into an official partnership with someone who has been in the Twitch community feels like a very logical move.
Naturally, Hall’s first partner broadcast will be an album release. It’s slated to go live at 5PM Pacific on Tuesday, July 21, where it will premiere. No pressure, their final LP (or so it says), before its release on the 24th. If you are a fan of Logic, log in. You won’t be able to find it online anywhere else.
