On March 20th, Big Sean made waves online when he released his new freestyle “Whole Time” on social media platforms X and Instagram, along with new visuals. Setting the tone for the release of “Precision,” which arrived two days later, the track’s video features the Detroit MC dropping bar after bar as he walks around a room in his LA home. “Whole Time” uses a slowed-down sample of Pharcyde’s classic beat on “Drop” by J. Dilla. It’s laced with smart, witty writing, and a few jabs here and there. However, some lines stand out as the best on the track — affirming Sean’s position as one of the greats. Clearly, Big Sean is back, and here are seven of the best bars.
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“I Just Haven’t Had The Energy To Compete With Enemies / Or Y’all So Called Bigger Three”
Big Sean opens the “Whole Time” freestyle admitting how inconsistent his career has been without necessarily stating the cause. Nonetheless, he quickly makes it known that he is not in competition with anyone. “I just haven’t had the energy to compete with enemies / Or y’all so-called bigger three,” he raps. Naturally, many who have seen this quickly compared it to Kendrick Lamar’s bombshell in his surprise cameo for Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” where he goes: “Motherf*ck the Big Three…it’s just f*ck the big three…it’s just big me…” However, there is little chance Kendrick could have been sneak dissing Big Sean, considering he would have submitted his verse long before Sean’s freestyle, though many joked that his scathing verse on “Like That” overshadowed the release of “Precision.”
“Every Verse I Lay, Fans Love To Say Man N***as Is Sleep / But 200 Million Records Up Tho, It Isn’t A Dream / Even If You Was My Son, You Couldn’t Belittle Me”
A fan of double entendres, Big Sean makes it clear in his freestyle that he won’t be put down or underestimated, even if he never achieved similar commercial success as a few of his peers. He quickly brags that he has an undeniable impact, selling over 200 million records throughout his career. On the flip side, Big Sean and his longtime girlfriend Jhene Aiko welcomed their baby boy Noah in 2022. Therefore, it’s safe to say that Noah will have to discover his own identity since there can only be one Big Sean.
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“How Long You Been Plotting On A B?…Back When You Was a Fly On The Wall And Dropped Out Of School To Help Ye Finish Graduation?”
The theories that Big Sean wrote several songs off Kanye West’s Graduation (without getting credits) continue to swirl around timelines, though it appears that we received confirmation. Top considerations of Big Sean’s Graduation contributions include “Champion,” “I Wonder,” and “Barry Bonds.” Regardless of absent evidence, however, Big Sean may have confirmed it in the “Whole Time” freestyle when he asks about the now-famous bar. This is also quite interesting, considering how important the album is to Ye’s discography. Ye also proclaimed that signing Big Sean to GOOD music was “the worst thing I’ve ever done” on an episode of Drink Champs. Big Sean subsequently retorted that Ye owed him money, when he visited the same podcast, though the two have seemingly squashed any beef between them.
“B.I.G. But Somehow I Need A Shrink”
Big Sean has always been vocal about his struggles with mental health, and he makes a few references throughout the freestyle. “I used to be held back and hide behind fear / but F.E.A.R is just false evidence appearing real,” he spits. However, none hit harder than “B.I.G. but somehow I need a shrink.” It’s pretty self-explanatory, but it’s been commended for his vulnerability.
“Since The Pow Chain, Setting Trends”
Sean seemingly intended this bar on “Whole Time” for the cultured fans. Although Hip Hop now transcends genres, it is still a lifestyle and a statement, and Big Sean was the first to speak Pow Chains into existence. He disclosed how he started the Pow Chain trend in a 2012 interview with GQ. “Verbal from the Teriyaki Boyz in Japan gave me and Kanye samples,” he said. “We were the first people to have it. Then I became homies with Verbal, and I told him it’d be so tight to have these iced-out and a little bigger… Chris Brown came up to me and was like, ‘Yo, I try to get my chains like this.’”
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“Living A Dream Inside of a Dream / I Feel Like I’m Leo Inside Of Inception”
Sean speeds up his flow numerous times in “Whole Time,” like with his Inception bar. However, before then, he first dropped this round, “I hate when people tell me it’s never that serious / You ain’t have to shoot your first album cover at Sears.” Rapping in the second person, he makes a few more references to when he first started his career: recording at Earl and A-Tone’s basement and the same studio as J.Dilla in just 30 minutes. The nostalgic walk down memory lane ends with his dedication to growing his career. “Before you made a dollar off of rap / But it was your full-time job though regardless”
“Sh*t, How Long You Knew Your Mind Was A Goldmine?”
Big Sean closes the freestyle in the most self-assured way possible. From the start of his music career, through the downtimes with the label, he has never doubted his talents. “Right now I’m talking to the old Sean / Sh*t, how long you knew was your mind was a goldmine? / Before you got signed? Sh*t, both times? / How long you knew it be like this? / N*gga, the whole time.” Big Sean is cocky all through, and he’s definitely earned the right to be.
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