In Anziety by Logic, the artist presents us with a song that shows us the up and down feelings of anxiety through the use of quick raps to a hectic sounding beat, an intro done by the quiet and emotional tone of Lucy Rose, and ended with a speech by Logic on his first experience with anxiety. The use of both anger and emotion parallels the feelings anxiety gives us. Logic’s rap and speech verses urge us as listeners to pay attention to mental illness and to not feel ashamed for seeking help. Anziety is one of those songs that you have to stop, close your eyes, and listen to fully. Logic is telling us a story, one that we may relate to ourselves. Through the use of spoken word, rap, and song, Logic gives us a Hip Hop song that is unlike no other. Anziety is sure to impact audiences and give them a sense of hope in their own personal battles with mental illness.

 

     Anziety begins with feature Lucy Rose signing to a beat that almost sounds calming as if her voice is reassuring you that you are fine, that you are not about to have a panic attack. The music changes and Rose is cut off after she sings, “And now I’m happy, right now I’m happy, but sometimes”, changing to the fast rapping of Logic which mirrors how one can go from trying to calm themselves down during attack, only to succumb to the madness in their brain. The beat is louder, faster, and makes your head feel like it's spinning. His tone is fed up and emotional. You can hear the frustration in the way he raps, almost like he’s yelling.  

 

      Logic delivers a chorus that's tone is as angry and stressful as an anxiety attack feels. He repeats the lines, “I’ma get up in your mind right now / Make you feel like dying right now”. The repeating of this line is crucial because he is trying to convey what an attack feels like to listener’s who don’t know the feelings anxiety brings on. He puts himself in the shoes of “anxiety” and what it does to a person's mind. He goes through all the things that it will make you want to do like pray to god or die from the pain.

 

     In his first verse Logic raps that “But they want to paint me as a villain / Even though I’m here to open their mind”.  Although at first listen it may sound as if he is talking about himself and perhaps backlash he may potentially face as a rapper discussing mental illness, he has clarified that the “me” in this line is anxiety. He wrote back to a fan on Twitter that he feels that anxiety is seen as a villain but to him personally, he views it as a way to humble himself, “I’m [anxiety] actually here to appreciate the moments that I’m not around...because if I didn't’ do that, you’ll just be living your life like everything’s great,” (Genius Lyrics).  This personal belief a deeper meaning in his rap verse and chorus. Others that struggle with mental illness may not view it in this way but to him, it's a way to make sense of it.

 

     After his second verse, the beat slows and fades into Logic speaking. His personal anecdote on his first experience with a panic attack is reflective and brings the listener along on the journey. His tone is at first in denial and confused,  he’s trying to make sense of what doctors are telling him. Logic presents his own story in the form of a speech instead of a rap perhaps to not only just slow down the music, but to slow down the listener’s thoughts as well. You are a first hit with the reassuring sound of Lucy Rose, and then the loud and angry voice of “anxiety”, the song ends with Logic’s own thoughts and his plea for others to focus on mental illness. A listener who has anxiety or mental illness would have felt those first two parts of and related to the words, putting their own emotions on the song. Through the speech, Logic can speak to the listener while they are vulnerable and focusing on their own struggle.

 

     The three elements of this song mirror the three key parts of Aristotle's rhetoric. The beginning intro done by Lucy Rose is the pathos of the song. It appeals to the listener’s emotions, her voice tries to calm them and reassure them that they are okay and right now, safe. The rap is an appeal to pathos in that it heightens the listener’s emotions, however; it is also an appeal to ethos because of its moral dilemma. The song makes the listener feel the dilemma that is brewing in them because of anxiety.  The ending speech is a clear appeal to logos, Logic’s own anecdote proves to the audience that he is not just some rapper tapping into the slew of popular songs that discuss mental illness, but as a man who has dealt with anxiety himself and is just trying to make sense of it like you are. Since Logic is learning to handle his anxiety, his argument that you are not alone and that you can seek help is powerful. If Logic can get a handle on his mental illness, so can the listener.

 

      Anziety is thoughtful and well put together. It shows us the up and downs of anxiety; reassurance, stress, anger, denial, and acceptance, through beat and tone. Logic wants to unify us, to convince those who struggle with mental illness that they are not alone. They can get a handle on their illness if they put trust in themselves and others. Anziety is a unique and influential hip-hop song, one that is sure to resonate and give hope to whoever listens to it.