From his turbulent relationship with Naya Riveria, his quick romance with Ariana Grande and now his time with current squeeze Jhené Aiko, Big Sean has turned his pain, truth and stories into musical tracks for his latest album I Decided.
The 14-track album is Sean’s truth. It is his follow up from his 2015 album Dark Sky Paradise which featured the career smash record ‘I Don’t F**k With You’.
In this album, he corrects the lies, sets the record straight and gives us his most honest lyrics yet.
From his turbulent relationship with Naya Riveria, his quick romance with Ariana Grande and now his time with current squeeze Jhené Aiko, Big Sean has turned his pain, truth and stories into musical tracks for his latest debut album I Decided.
The 14-track album is Sean’s truth. It is his follow up from his 2015 album Dark Sky Paradise which featured the career smash record ‘I Don’t F**k With You’.
In this album, he corrects the lies, sets the record straight and gives us his most honest lyrics yet.
We have heard his rants, regarding the rumours of him allegedly cheating on Riveria with Grande and how he won’t be tainted by these “lies” in his first promotional single ‘No More Interviews’. It is clear that this is the most important album of his career thus far.
Big Sean, real name Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, has been under scrutiny for his relationship with Jhené Aiko after her marriage abruptly ended just before the pair got together.
Their collaboration in mixtape Twenty88 paved the way for the pair to get together.
Musically, the pair are a strange duo but when they get together, they somehow always make it work. Although short, ‘Same Time’ is a seductive tune and who better to get sexy with than your own girlfriend?
‘Bounce Back’ was his second promotional single for the album. In the song, he openly admits that he has been through some hard times: “Last night I took an L…” but how this album is his comeback, “…but tonight I bounce back.” The track talks about the losses and how to recover from them.
Sean said: “I’m trying to give my listeners glimpses of inspiration that they can take with them. This album is a concept of Rebirth.”
The fourth studio album has a whole nostalgic feel. An example of this is highlighted in the track ‘Light’ featuring Jeremih.
The song has a slow start but the lyrics resonate into your speakers, “counting money never feels as good as counting blessings.”
One of the rawest tracks on here features the GOAT, (Greatest of all Time) Eminem. ‘No Favours’ is a straight talking, no pausing track where Sean gives his all to the world, with the help of an icon.
The song is a stream of consciousness. Sean compares himself to Usain Bolt whereas Eminem raps about urinating on Fergie and yes, he just called Trump a bitch!
The songs aren’t bad – at times dull – but when listened to and set in the right scene, the lyrics allow you to take in Sean’s flow.
‘I Decided’ is Big Sean’s alarm clock to the world, to wake up everyone who has slept on him, forgotten how he works and to reassure everyone that he is back and here to stay. Can we now put Sean in the same category as ‘best rappers’ like Drake, Kendrick Lamar or J Cole?
He is yet to be way way up (no pun intended) there with the champs but if he keeps going on like this, moving out of his comfort zone, then he could be at Eminem’s level soon.
This album is the light to his Dark Sky Paradise.
I Decided is out now.
Erica Goncalves Lopes
Bethany Aspinall
Megan Kelly