His debut album, Finally Famous, was released in June 2011 and featured guest appearances from hip hop superstars Kanye West, Chris Brown, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream, Wiz Khalifa, and Lupe Fiasco.
He was raised by his mother and grandparents who worked steadfastly to instill in him the principles of hard work and determination. Sean attended the Detroit Waldorf School, a school of art, from Kindergarten to 8th Grade where he was in 102.7FM, a local radio station in Detroit where he displayed his rhyming skills weekly. There, he met Kanye West after a radio interview in 2005 and got a chance to display his talent by freestyling for Mr. West, giving him a copy of his music and sending numerous tracks for him to critique. After months of submitting songs and numerous meetings, Sean finally got a call from Kanye West himself saying that he wanted to sign him. Two years later, West signed Big Sean to GOOD Music. Sean has cited West, Eminem, The Notorious B.I.G., and J Dilla as his influences.
On September 30, 2007, Big Sean released his first official mixtape Finally Famous: The Mixtape. His hit single, "Get'cha Some", produced by WrighTrax, attained media attention and led to articles in The Source and the Detroit Metro Times. He also recorded a music video for "Get'cha Some", which was directed by Hype Williams. Sean released a second mixtape hosted by Mick Boogie on April 16, 2009, called UKNOWBIGSEAN. It featured the songs "Million Dollars", "Get'cha Some" and "Supa Dupa". This mixtape includes 30 tracks. Sean released a third mixtape hosted by Don Cannon on August 31, 2010, called Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG, which features include major artists like Bun B, Chip tha Ripper, Curren$y, Tyga, Drake, Mike Posner, Chuck Inglish, Asher Roth, Dom Kennedy, and Chiddy Bang. The mixtape includes 20 tracks.
Finally Famous, Sean's debut studio album, was released June 28, 2011, and spawned three hit singles; "My Last", "Marvin & Chardonnay" and "Dance (Ass)". The album featured guest appearances from Lupe Fiasco, John Legend, Pharrell, Kanye West, Roscoe Dash, Wiz Khalifa, Chiddy Bang, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, and included production from No I.D., The Legendary Traxster, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Xaphoon Jones and The Neptunes. When the songs "O.T.T.R." and "Flowers" were leaked in July 2011, speculation began of a new mixtape. Sean confirmed in an interview on June 28, 2011, that a collaborative mixtape between him and "two other guys in hip-hop that are just killing it right now" will be released "in a couple of weeks". Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y were the suspected featured rappers on the mixtape. However, Wiz Khalifa later confirmed that there would be no mixtape, claiming that the songs were created, "just for fun".
In September 2011, Big Sean confirmed in an interview with the Daily Tribune that he'll be working on his second album during the I Am Finally Famous Tour and plans to release the album sometime in 2012. On October 19, 2011, Kanye West announced on his Twitter plans for a Spring 2012 GOOD Music album release. On April 6, 2012, "Mercy", the lead single from the GOOD Music compilation album, Cruel Summer, was released. The song, produced by newly signed in-house producer Lifted, features Big Sean along with Kanye West, Pusha T, and southern rapper 2 Chainz. Big Sean then announced his fourth mixtape would be titled "Detroit" and would serve as a lead-in to his second studio album. He then began promoting the mixtape, releasing short versions of the songs on his YouTube page. On September 5, 2012, Big Sean released the mixtape Detroit which features guest appearances from fellow rappers J. Cole, Juicy J, King Chip, French Montana, Royce da 5'9", Kendrick Lamar, and Tyga.
Big Sean pushed back the release date of his second studio album Hall of Fame which was eventually released on August 27, 2013. The album has skits to give it a "classic feel", and includes features from multiple artists, including Lil Wayne, Miguel, and Nas. The album's production was primarily handled by No I.D., and Key Wane along with additional production from Hit-Boy, Da Internz, Mike Dean, Travis Scott, Xaphoon Jones, and Young Chop among others. Big Sean also stated in an interview that he was in the studio with fellow Detroit native Eminem. Sean went on to say they made a "Detroit classic" but he is unsure if it will be on Hall of Fame because of "timing issues". Hall of Fame spawned five singles, "Guap", "Switch Up" featuring Common, "Beware" featuring Jhené Aiko and Lil Wayne, "Fire", and "Ashley" featuring Miguel.
A month prior to the release of Hall of Fame, Big Sean told Complex that he had already begun work on his third album due to the inspiration from his new relationship. On September 12, 2014, Big Sean announced that he had signed a management deal with Roc Nation. Later that same day he released four new songs titled, "I Don't Fuck with You", "Paradise", "4th Quarter" and "Jit/Juke". Producers for these songs include, Mike Will Made It, DJ Mustard, Kanye West, DJ Dahi, Nate Fox, Da Internz, L&F, and Key Wane. "I Don't Fuck with You" was released to iTunes on September 19, 2014. In an interview with Sway Calloway, Sean confirmed that Lil Wayne will be featured on the album.
In May 2012, Big Sean founded a nonprofit organization called the “Sean Anderson Foundation,” with the aim of helping underserved children and families in Detroit. Alongside direct donations to local institutions, primarily educational institutions, the foundation has created fundraising programs and partnered with other organizations. In 2016, the foundation launched #HealFlintKids to raise money for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint amid the Flint water crisis - the program raised $100,000.
In 2015, the foundation launched Mogul Prep, which partnered high school students with music industry professionals. During the same year, the foundation donated a recording studio for students at Big Sean's alma mater, Cass Technical High School. Beginning in 2018, the foundation has hosted an annual weekend festival, called D.O.N. Weekend, with free events and performances for Detroit residents and usually by Detroit artists. In December 2018, Big Sean in partnership with Ally Financial, Thurgood Marshall College Fund & the Sean Anderson Foundation, created an annual scholarship competition for HBCU students called “Moguls in the Making.”
On March 25, 2016, Big Sean released a track to celebrate his 28th birthday, "Get My Shit Together". Two days later he announced a self-titled album with Jhené Aiko, Twenty88, scheduled to be released on April 1, 2016, exclusively on Tidal. The album was released on April 5, 2016, on Apple Music and Spotify. A week after the exclusive release of Twenty88 on Tidal, Big Sean and Aiko released a 15-minute short film called Out of Love, which is composed of several recordings from the album. Around the same month, upon the wake of the Flint water crisis, Big Sean tweeted to the city's official Twitter account, asking if he could do anything to help, and later on donated $10,000.
On October 31, 2016, Big Sean released "Bounce Back" as the lead single from his fourth studio album, I Decided, which was released on February 3, 2017. "Moves" was released as an instant-great on December 16, 2016. Sean consulted the advice of Jay Z and Rick Rubin while working on the album. Big Sean achieved his second number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart, as I Decided debuted at the top. It earned 151,000 equivalent album units in the week of February 9, according to Nielsen Music. 65,000 of the amount was in pure album sales. As of April 18, 2017, I Decided was certified gold.
Two months after the release of I Decided, Big Sean was offered the official Key to the City of Detroit for his contribution to his own Sean Anderson foundation.
On November 3, 2017, Sean and Metro Boomin released the single "Pull Up N Wreck", featuring 21 Savage. A month later, it was announced that Sean and Metro were to release a collaborative album titled Double or Nothing. The album was released on December 8, 2017, and included features from Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, 21 Savage, Kash Doll, Young Thug, and Swae Lee, and included the single "Pull Up N Wreck".
On July 24, 2019, Big Sean released his first solo single since 2017 titled "Overtime", produced by Hit-Boy, Key Wane, and the Tucker Brothers. In an interview with Beats 1 Radio, Sean said he was "returning to his roots" with the single ahead of his forthcoming album. On July 26, he released the song "Single Again", which includes background vocals from Jhené Aiko and Ty Dolla Sign. On August 26, he released the single "Bezerk" featuring ASAP Ferg, performing it at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.
On March 25 (Big Sean's 32nd birthday), he announced that his new record would be titled Detroit 2. On August 25, he released the album's lead single, "Deep Reverence", featuring late rapper Nipsey Hussle. Detroit 2 was released on September 4, 2020, and features collaborations with Eminem, Jhené Aiko, and Lil Wayne. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, marking his third number-one album.
On September 17, 2020, Big Sean revealed in a Reddit AMA that another Twenty88 album is "in the works". A track attributed to the project appeared on Detroit 2. He has also announced that he plans on launching his own record label. On October 29, 2021, Big Sean announced on Twitter that after 14 years, he has stepped away from Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, saying "That's a forever brotherhood, but business-wise, I had to start getting a bigger cut! I worked my way out that deal." West also claimed during a November 2021 Drink Champs podcast that signing Sean was the 'worst decision' of his entire career.
Starting in 2020, Big Sean has appeared in the Showtime series 'Twenties' in a recurring role as Trsitan, an anti-social media character who learns the value of online connection. In October 2021, Big Sean, in collaboration with rapper and producer Hit-Boy released an EP entitled What You Expect.
In February 2022, Big Sean and singer Queen Naija released a single entitled "Hate Our Love". The song will appear on Naija's upcoming album. In that same month, Big Sean confirmed the Twenty88 album and revealed that the album would include a collaboration with his then-girlfriend, Jhené Aiko. In September 2022, Big Sean re-released Detroit to streaming platforms, in honor of its 10th anniversary.
In 2019, the foundation partnered with Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, donating a second $100,000 recording studio to the club during that year's D.O.N. Weekend. Since 2012, the foundation has participated in the annual All-Star Giveback on Thanksgiving, where it distributes turkeys, trimming, and canned goods to Detroit residents.
In May 2021, Big Sean, via his Sean Anderson Foundation, released a video series on wellness and mental health. The series was released during Mental Health Awareness Month and featured a conversation between Big Sean and his mother, educator Myra Anderson, about the intersection between wellness and mental health, including topics like meditation, sleep, and emotional freedom techniques.
10 2 10
Big Sean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I look up
Finally Famous nigga
I woke up working like a Mexican
That mean I work from 10 to 10
Then 10 to 10, then 10 again
Nightmares of losing everything boost my adrenaline
All this bread can't be good for my cholesterol
Don't come round' talking loudly, fucking up my repertoire dawg
I can't lie bruh lately I've been stressing heavily
I'm sipping, popping, smoking on whatever take the pressure off
Diss you, FF Imperial 'til my burial
Dodging every bullet and venereal
Anti fuck boy material 'til I'm dead, I'm living proof
If you focus on what's in front of you and not what's in the peripheral
It's gone, word, boy I seen drama on drama
Drama on drama over comma on comma
I'm bringing home dead prez, my house done feel like its haunted
I put the city on my back, right along with my garments
Went to sleep, snoring
I woke up working like a Mexican
That mean I work from 10 to 10
Then 10 to 10, then 10 again
Nightmares of losing everything boost my adrenaline
I got 3 jobs like I'm Jamaican though
I need 3 wives like I was Haitian though
One cook, one clean, the other PMS'ing, no hable ingles
If police have questions they don't know what that mean nigga
They say Detroit going through the great depression
Still it's been depressed so long I can't even tell depression here
My homeboy still gon' pull up on them rims big as a Ferris wheel
So many rides up on the curb my lil 'cause thought the fair was here
Like oh, I'm primo, top spot redeemed ho, for who, my team
And we might take a trip to Jamaica, Montego, pussy and flamingos
Got me thinking the fuck I need to sleep for?
I woke up working like a Mexican
That mean I work from 10 to 10
Then 10 to 10, then 10 again
Nightmares of losing everything boost my adrenaline
Big Sean's song "10 2 10" is an autobiographical track that reflects his work ethic and hustle as an artist. In the first verse, he asserts his status as a wealthy and successful artist who has achieved financial independence. He shows gratitude for his long journey, from a young hustler to a famous rapper. However, he also shares his struggles with anxiety and mental health issues, which make him work tirelessly to prevent losing what he has achieved.
The chorus, "I woke up working like a Mexican, that mean I work from 10 to 10, then 10 to 10, then 10 again," emphasizes his work ethic and the long hours he puts in to achieve his dreams. The use of the phrase "like a Mexican" is controversial, as it plays into stereotypes and can be seen as offensive. However, it also highlights the hard work ethic of many Mexicans and other immigrant communities.
Throughout the song, Big Sean references his life from various angles. He mentions his multiple jobs, including music and fashion, to support his success. He also expresses his vision for a perfect relationship, referring to the stereotypical gender roles of a Jamaican man and a Haitian woman. He even speaks on the current state of Detroit, where he is from, and the issues it faces post-recession.
Overall, "10 2 10" depicts Big Sean's dedication to his craft and the challenges he faces as a successful artist. He acknowledges the rewards of his hard work, but also the pressure of success, and his determination to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
Imma' be paid forever
I will always have money no matter what.
I look up
I am hopeful and optimistic about the future.
Finally Famous nigga
I am now famous and successful.
I woke up working like a Mexican
I am working extremely hard, just like a Mexican worker who typically works from 10am to 10pm.
That mean I work from 10 to 10
Then 10 to 10, then 10 again
I work long hours, from morning until night, and sometimes even pull all-nighters.
Nightmares of losing everything boost my adrenaline
The fear of losing everything I've worked for motivates me to work harder.
All this bread can't be good for my cholesterol
Having so much money cannot be healthy for me emotionally or mentally.
Don't come round' talking loudly, fucking up my repertoire dawg
Don't come around me causing trouble with your unnecessary noise and actions.
I can't lie bruh lately I've been stressing heavily
I can't deny that I am currently experiencing a lot of stress.
I'm sipping, popping, smoking on whatever take the pressure off
I am using drugs and alcohol to cope with my stress.
Diss you, FF Imperial 'til my burial
If someone disrespects me, I will remain loyal to Finally Famous until the day I die.
Dodging every bullet and venereal
I am avoiding negative and harmful situations and people.
Anti fuck boy material 'til I'm dead, I'm living proof
I am not interested in being associated with manipulative and selfish men.
If you focus on what's in front of you and not what's in the peripheral
It's gone, word, boy I seen drama on drama
If you concentrate on the important things in your life and ignore distractions, your problems will disappear. I have experienced this firsthand.
Drama on drama over comma on comma
I have been involved in a lot of unnecessary drama over small amounts of money.
I'm bringing home dead prez, my house done feel like its haunted
I am making a lot of money and it feels surreal and eerie.
I put the city on my back, right along with my garments
I am representing my hometown and making it proud.
Went to sleep, snoring
I slept well and soundly.
I got 3 jobs like I'm Jamaican though
I need 3 wives like I was Haitian though
I feel like I am doing the work of multiple people, hence the reference to Jamaican people, who are known for having multiple jobs. I also want multiple wives like Haitian people, who believe in polygamy.
One cook, one clean, the other PMS'ing, no hable ingles
If police have questions they don't know what that mean nigga
One wife will be responsible for cooking, one will be responsible for cleaning, and the third will be experiencing her menstrual cycle and cannot speak English. If the police ask questions, they won't understand.
They say Detroit going through the great depression
Still it's been depressed so long I can't even tell depression here
People say Detroit is going through a difficult time, but it has been struggling for so long that it is hard to tell if things are truly worse than before.
My homeboy still gon' pull up on them rims big as a Ferris wheel
So many rides up on the curb my lil 'cause thought the fair was here
My friend is still driving around with flashy, expensive rims that are as big as a Ferris wheel. There are so many fancy cars parked on the street that my little cousin thought there was a fair going on in the neighborhood.
Like oh, I'm primo, top spot redeemed ho, for who, my team
And we might take a trip to Jamaica, Montego, pussy and flamingos
I feel like a king, and I have redeemed myself and proved my worth to my team. We might celebrate our success with a trip to Jamaica, where we can enjoy the beaches, women, and scenery.
Got me thinking the fuck I need to sleep for?
I am so busy and have so much going on in my life that I wonder if there is even a point in sleeping.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sean Michael Anderson, Jacques Webster, Ernest Dion Wilson, Dwane M. Ii Weir, Tyree Pitman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe’sDailylife
This song still busting 7 yrs later know why ? Cuz I’m MEXICANNNNNNNN!!!! 🇲🇽
LaDaesha Payne
Love it
Corey
I get that not everyone will like it... but this song gives us a taste of the dark side of his mind. His fears, his deep thoughts, and I think a lot of people fail to realize that. This is really different. That's what helps it carry the twisted message. And the music video was done in this way for a reason. Only adds another layer to the message. Much respect to Big Sean for this very unique piece of work.
Buttle Rubbies
This song is super underrated imo. it sounds like nothing ive heard before in rap and its fucking crazy. it goes hard and its paranoid and its just big sean getting crazy inspirational. wish he still had this kind of hunger
Jacob Karuna
I love the production quality on this video! It shows just how much love goes into the process of making a truly great impact on not only music but film history..Keep up the great work..
Roman M
Outstanding song, outstanding video, outstanding remix, outstanding album, unbelievable artist
Larry Whitney
this goes hard it actually motivates me to put in work like a mexican [deserves more views]
THERUDDY ONE
SAME
Jimmy Russels
he played this live in concert it was amazing
Darrien Toth
This song is so underrated it's awesome!!!!