Big Sean SZN is officially underway. The rapper’s unveiled a handful of singles since the top of the year in anticipation of his forthcoming album, Better You Than Me, due out on August 9th. This morning, he unveiled the new single, “One Up” and its music video. This came after the release of “Yes,” “Precision,” and “Shut Up,” along with his stellar guest verses on Eminem’s “Tobey” and DJ Premier’s “Ya Don’t Stop” alongside Lil Wayne. Sean Don has been getting busy. After a four-year wait, his upcoming project sounds like it could be his best to date.
Within that four-year window, much has happened in his life, including the birth of his first son, who appears in the “One Up” video. Sean sat down with Charlamagne Tha God for the latest episode of Out Of Context, where they addressed everything from his relationship with Ye and G.O.O.D Music to nearly giving up on rap. Below, we’ve rounded up five of the biggest takeaways.
Read More: Big Sean Breaks Silence On Album Leak
Kendrick “Apology”
In September 2023, a leaked version of Kendrick Lamar’s “ELEMENT” surfaced online containing direct shots at Big Sean. In the song, Kendrick raps, “Big Sean keep sneak dissin’, I let it slide/ I think his false confidence got him inspired/ I can’t make them respect you baby, it’s not my job/ You’re finally famous for who you date, not how you rhyme/ Cute ass raps, get your puberty up/ Then make you a classic album before you come at us/ Drake and Meek Mill beef might got you gassed up/ But I’m a whole ‘nother beast, I’d really f*ck you up.”
Sean explained that Joe Budden primarily pushed this narrative that the two had beef. However, prior to the leak coming out, Sean was assured by Dave Free and Punch that there was no smoke. Moreover, Big Sean said his verse on “Deep Reverence” ft. Nipsey Hussle was inspired by a text exchange he had with Kendrick Lamar, who he claimed apologized for the misunderstanding. It should be noted that he didn’t think Kendrick would’ve done him worse than Drake. Ultimately, he felt he was ready for whatever came with a potential feud.
Read More: Big Sean Reveals Whether Or Not He Believes Kanye West Helped Leak His Album
Ye & G.O.O.D Music
Big Sean expressed gratitude for the opportunity he had with G.O.O.D Music. First, he said that the $6 million discrepancy has been handled. However, he said he took a cut compared to what he was owed for the sake of avoiding courtrooms. “With the deal I signed, he made more money off of my music than me,” he explained, adding that he wasn’t necessarily bothered by that. However, he audited Def Jam for the money and later learned that the money was actually sent to G.O.O.D Music.
“He said what he said [on Drink Champs]. I’m not into gossip and stuff but he said what he said and it made me realize that I couldn’t take all of what he was saying serious on that Drink Champs,” Sean told Charlamagne. “Very performative… that’s what I’m not. That’s what he’s good at.” Kanye allegedly tried to make sure that there was a picture of the two taken to squash the narrative.
But at the root of their issues is Drake, apparently. “I think he was just pissed because he thought I chose Drake over him. I only bring that up because he brought that up to somebody who told me something,” he said. Sean explained that Ye demanded a verse on “Blessings,” which the Detroit MC helped him write. However, he gave him a deadline, and Ye basically ignored that. “For some reason, he thinks – Drake didn’t even want him on that song but I was like, ‘I’m putting Ye on the song anyway because Ye put me on. If he wants to be on the song, he’s going to be on the song,” Sean explained. Apparently, even though Ye failed to pull through, he felt like Sean was not being loyal.
Coming To Terms With The Big 3
In another Kendrick-related excerpt, Big Sean explained that he understood why he’s not mentioned in the same vein as his peers, namely Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole. “I hear my name every time people talk about this Big 3 stuff,” he said. Then, he acknowledged that his inconsistency as an artist played a significant role in people’s perception of him. “My consistency is where I lack. I say that in that too. It’s like, I haven’t put out music in four years, bro, essentially, I haven’t put a project out. I can’t expect to be in that conversation when I haven’t been consistency feeding hip-hop, feeding the fans.”
However, that might change in the future. Sean said that he feels like he has the potential to release more music while keeping it on “God’s time.” “I think the way my life is going, that’s one of my priorities is to put more music out with meaning, though,” he said, “I do feel like when it comes to rapping abilities, I have no limit on my rapping abilities… I can hang with anybody on any song… I’ve proven that with all of them. He added, “Even with ‘Control,’ the next song we did, I made sure I had a better verse on ‘Holy Key.’”
Nearly Giving Up On Rap Dreams
An emotional point in the interview came when Sean started reflecting on his high school years where he wrote down a list of labels that he wanted to sign to, which included G.O.O.D Music at #1. “It was one of them omens. There’s just one little thing I needed to realize ‘Nah, I can do this, bro. I met Ye and rapped for him. He said he wanted to sign me.’ I just manifested and visualized the paperwork coming in all this time. In that one year, I was depressed, I just wanted to give up bad,” he said, explaining that he felt that he was “done.”
His grandma encouraged him to apply for community college as a backup plan. “I remember my mom being like, ‘What are you doing?’ And it was… it was a moment, dawg,” he added as he tried to fight back tears, explaining that she pushed him to keep following his dreams. “I’m just thankful I had these guardian angels in my life, like my mom, just coming in the form of anything – a book.”
Read More: Big Sean’s Album Has A Release Date And Twitter Worries Kendrick Lamar Will Overshadow It
Big Sean Discusses The Possibility Of Marrying Jhene Aiko
After being together for so long, many have wondered whether Big Sean and Jhene Aiko will ever get hitched. Sean denied that they had a secret industry wedding before divulging his thoughts on marriage in general. With the two sharing a child together and working together as a musical duo, there’s another layer of complexity to their relationship. “We’ve had our ups and downs and I think it’s still finding the right navigation through it all. I don’t know if like – to me, marriage symbolizes the best relationship,” he explained. “I feel like having a relationship is first and foremost and marriage is a byproduct of that.”
Sean added that the pressure of getting married creates a level of fear in the decision, especially with the divorce rates. While he added that they could get married in the future, it’s not necessarily the priority in their lives. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, I feel like, in general. We have so many relationships. It’s like being peers, being in a group together, parents, romantic – it’s a crazy connection because no matter what we’re always going to be tied together. No matter what,” he said.
“She and me have to be on the same page. Not to say that we aren’t but I feel like – I can only speak for myself that there needs to be more work done so we could keep going because there’s a lot of focus on our family, there’s a lot of focus on careers and everything and that’s something I feel like has not been the main focus.”
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