What would you do if you reached the VERY top of your industry at 28 years old? How would you feel if everything you thought you wanted to accomplish in your career — from the most minor details to your wildest dreams — became a reality?
That’s exactly what happened to my special guest today. You might know him as an award-winning artist whose music has touched millions of people around the world. But despite all his talent and success, like many of us, he has suffered through periods of severe anxiety and depression and even contemplated taking his own life.
Thankfully, this was a turning point for him. He began to focus ONLY on the things that brought him true happiness, like his friends, family, and creative projects that filled him with joy, not on the negative comments constantly thrown at him on social media. Today, he’s in a much better place and he even recently finished publishing a novel and a memoir. Most importantly, he’s happier than he’s ever been!
My guest today is the one and only Logic! In this interview, Logic gets vulnerable and opens up about everything he’s been through. We discussed the most important lessons he’s learned from his traumatic and abusive childhood. We also talked about what it takes to pursue your dreams and make them a reality under extreme adversity. He also shares the biggest lies around success. how he overcame his darkest place at the peak of his career and so much more!
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or you’re curious about how Logic went from poverty to achieving his dreams, then I know you’ll find value in this episode. So what are you waiting for? Let’s dive in!
Who Is Logic?
Bobby Hall, a.k.a. Logic, is a Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling recording artist, author, actor, streamer, and film producer. In addition to his three number-one albums, ten platinum singles, and billions of streams, Hall’s debut book, Supermarket, making him the first hip-hop artist to have a #1 New York Times bestselling novel. He has also written a new memoir called This Bright Future, where he gets vulnerable and opens up about everything he’s been through.
A tough childhood led to Logic’s success. His parents struggled with substance abuse, and they barely made ends meet for him due to the circumstances that surrounded them throughout his life growing up. One day, Logic decided enough was enough. He eventually released his first album, Under Pressure, after moving into another artist’s place where he was allowed to use the basement as a studio. The rest, as they say, is history.
The interview I had with him was such an inspiring, robust conversation, and I’m already looking forward to getting to know Logic better as a friend and person. Indeed, his insights and wisdom will leave us inspired to dream and become better people.
The Life That Made Logic
There are a lot of things that every child goes through in life. For some, growing up with no parents or having a disabled family member to take care of might make life more difficult for them than what’s expected at their age. These children have to grow up faster and face the world head-on. Some also grew up in impoverished households and with a lot of abuse and trauma.
Although many of us may expect that these kids will grow up to be disenfranchised members of society, some go in the complete opposite direction. This is what made me curious about Logic who came out with a kind heart, a good soul, and a moral compass, despite growing up in a place of so much trauma and abuse.
“I’d see my dad smoking crack and my brothers putting guns in my hand. I grew up seeing my mom drinking and getting beat by men. … A lot of my siblings fell into that kind of same trap and perpetuated that lifestyle. I don’t know, but I just knew it wasn’t right.” – Logic
Logic’s story only shows that more and more children who grew up with childhood trauma are becoming successful people in the world. This only shows that even if you live through something difficult, then you can do just about anything. If you’re wondering how Logic was able to channel what he went through into something for the good of others, as opposed to repeating the pattern of abuse, he believes that it was because he wanted something that he lacked as a young child.
“As a child, I didn’t have anybody there to tell me that they loved me or that I was doing a good job. That message of peace, love, and positivity in my music is because I wasn’t actually surrounded by any of it.” – Logic
This absence is what brought Logic to where he is today. After growing in a family where the lack of love and support was a norm, he chose to channel his childhood trauma into something positive and productive. He knew that music was his outlet, so he wrote and created more music for his own pleasure and for other people to be able to get that message of love and positivity just like he did.
“Once the music started to take off and I had a couple of hundred fans, I saw that they resonated with what I was saying — maybe because they felt like I was saying it to them. So then I was like, ‘Let me let them know that someone cares for them. I’m in this position of power, and I want to use it positively.’ That’s when the message just got bigger and stronger.” – Logic
Growing up with childhood trauma can influence somebody in a lot of ways. Logic, who grew up seeing his entire family falling into the same drug abuse and alcoholism patterns, did not want to experience the same things. He chose to not let his past define him, and instead, he used it as a wake-up call to change his life for the better. And now, as an award-winning rapper, he’s been able to inspire countless people with his music!
Now, I want you to think about this. How can you channel your childhood trauma into something positive? What makes you want to make your life better, and how do you plan on getting there? If Logic was able to do it, then I know you can too.
Pursuing Dreams Amidst Adversities
At the age of 28, Logic pursued his passion as a rapper and has become one of the most successful rappers globally. Despite this success, Logic was still dealing with his personal demons.
“One of my darkest … times of feeling alone was when I was 28 years old, and I had the whole world in the palm of my hands, and nobody else understood what I was going through.” – Logic
Despite being surrounded by friends and other rappers, he knew people weren’t really able to connect with him at his level. They weren’t able to emotionally and vulnerably be able to resonate with him. But what exactly was he experiencing?
