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.
Outro
Big Sean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I say that I'm the best, I guess I had to prove that
You know I had to cop that mansion on the hill and pull that
You know I don't rely on 8 balls, no, I never pulled that
You know I always like the best, roll it up and pull that
Now baby, don't get too deep on me, I might have to pull back
I got weed rolled, drinks po'd if you wanna do that
And I be in and out of love, the OGs be like true that
Say the wrong thing to the right girl, you might not make it
Dark skin with a lightskin girl like Taye Diggs
And you go from tryna save her to her taking your savings
And when she do, man, watch how them bitches shit talk
Wonder how they would feel if our lives got criss-crossed
What if you lost your homie and you felt like Kriss Kross?
Double cross, I swear that Christians don't even get this cross
Talk so much shit that a nigga pissed off
She talk so much that she done fucking made my dick soft
Pushing all my buttons, this ain't fucking pinball
I guess women are sometimes like a jigsaw
Sometimes you hit a lick, sometimes you get ripped off
Sometimes you gotta sit, sometimes it's time for lift-off
Sometimes I just shut up and let my wrist talk
It be like "we don't got time for bullshit, dawg"
You know I'm 1 of 1, just like the prototype
You look like the "um, you owe me" type
Oh, hardly never taking pictures, not the photo type, no
Please don't Instagram this shit and be up on me like
"Oh, you owe me likes"
Man, I swear these bitches don't know what the fuck is more important to em
The more I kick philosophy, the more I'm boring to em
The more champagne I pop, the more I'm pouring to em
I just hope that's not the only single thing that's going through em
I hop up on a beat like it's the '08 me
When we was riding four deep, boy, no AC
Headed to the game for OKCs
Now I'm courtside at OKC, I know KD
And all these singing bitches know me like do-ray-mi
Fa-so-la-ti-do but dough come first
No late fees, Kool-Aid smile, Colgate teeth
The bigger that I get, the more I need shrinks
I be in and out of cars like a fucking crash dummy
Spending money till it's dizzy but I still stash something, you know
But I'm tryna get that real real money, like um
White people with a black son
And first time I met Oprah, that was motivation
Went from standing in court to starting up a corporation
Went so hard last night that we made the morning paper
Plus my girl's rated R, all your hoes overrated, damn
Niggas say I changed, how they damn how they do
Say I'm hard to get in contact with, oh, is that true?
But what about now? 313
515-8772, bitch, call me
In the song Outro by Big Sean, the rapper reflects on his rise to success and the struggles that come with it. He talks about his desire to prove himself as the best, which led him to cop a mansion on the hill. He also mentions his fondness for the finest things in life, such as the best weed and drinks. However, he acknowledges that this lifestyle can be irritating and problematic, especially when it comes to relationships with women. He warns that saying the wrong thing to the right girl can be disastrous and shares his experiences of being double-crossed.
Throughout the song, Big Sean highlights the importance of staying grounded despite achieving fame and wealth. He mentions that he is not the photo type and doesn't care about social media likes. He also talks about his desire to make real money, like white people with a black son. The rapper concludes the song by providing his phone number and challenging anyone who says he is hard to reach.
Overall, Outro is a powerful reflection on the challenges that come with success and the need to stay humble despite achieving wealth and fame.
Line by Line Meaning
Okay now, why you wanna go and do that, do that?
Why would you do that? What's your reasoning behind your actions?
Sometimes I say that I'm the best, I guess I had to prove that
I boast about myself sometimes, but I have to back it up to prove myself.
You know I had to cop that mansion on the hill and pull that
I bought that mansion on the hill because I worked hard for it.
You know I don't rely on 8 balls, no, I never pulled that
I don't need to use drugs, specifically cocaine, to have fun.
You know I always like the best, roll it up and pull that
I always want the best quality of things, and I like to smoke it.
Now baby, don't get too deep on me, I might have to pull back
Don't get too emotionally involved with me, or I might have to pull away.
I got weed rolled, drinks po'd if you wanna do that
If you want to smoke weed and drink, I have it ready for you.
And I be in and out of love, the OGs be like true that
I fall in and out of love often, and the OGs can relate to that.
'Cause you know sometimes man, that shit can get way too irritating
Sometimes, relationships can be too much to handle and can get irritating.
Say the wrong thing to the right girl, you might not make it
You have to be careful with what you say to the right girl, or she may leave you.
Dark skin with a lightskin girl like Taye Diggs
I like a mix of different skin tones in a girl, like Taye Diggs.
And you go from tryna save her to her taking your savings
You try to help her, but then she uses you for your money.
And when she do, man, watch how them bitches shit talk
When she does that, watch how other girls will talk badly about her.
Wonder how they would feel if our lives got criss-crossed
I wonder how they would feel if they were in my shoes.
What if you lost your homie and you felt like Kriss Kross?
What if you lost someone close to you and you were heartbroken?
Double cross, I swear that Christians don't even get this cross
Betrayal is something that even the most faithful people cannot comprehend.
Talk so much shit that a nigga pissed off
Talking so much negatively can get someone really angry.
She talk so much that she done fucking made my dick soft
She talks so much that she annoys me to the point where I can't even get aroused.
Pushing all my buttons, this ain't fucking pinball
She's pushing all of my buttons and it's not a game.
I guess women are sometimes like a jigsaw
Women can sometimes be complex and hard to understand, like a jigsaw puzzle.
Sometimes you hit a lick, sometimes you get ripped off
In life, sometimes you succeed and sometimes you fail.
Sometimes you gotta sit, sometimes it's time for lift-off
Sometimes you have to take a break, and sometimes it's time to move forward.
Sometimes I just shut up and let my wrist talk
Sometimes, I don't need to say anything because my jewelry speaks for itself.
It be like "we don't got time for bullshit, dawg"
We don't have time to waste, we need to focus on success.
You know I'm 1 of 1, just like the prototype
I am unique, just like the original prototype.
You look like the "um, you owe me" type
You look like someone who would constantly ask for favors.
Oh, hardly never taking pictures, not the photo type, no
I rarely take pictures, I am not someone who is into photography.
Please don't Instagram this shit and be up on me like
Please do not post this on Instagram and act like we are close.
"Oh, you owe me likes"
Don't ask me to give you likes on social media.
Man, I swear these bitches don't know what the fuck is more important to em
I feel like these girls don't know what is truly important in life.
The more I kick philosophy, the more I'm boring to em
The more I talk about my beliefs and philosophy, the less interesting I am to others.
The more champagne I pop, the more I'm pouring to em
The more champagne I drink, the more I am wasting it for others.
I just hope that's not the only single thing that's going through em
I hope that they are not just focused on my extravagant lifestyle.
I hop up on a beat like it's the '08 me
I approach rapping with the same energy as when I first started in 2008.
When we was riding four deep, boy, no AC
When I was with my friends, we used to ride without air conditioning to save money.
Headed to the game for OKCs
We were on our way to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder play basketball.
Now I'm courtside at OKC, I know KD
Now, I am sitting right by the court at an Oklahoma City Thunder game and I know Kevin Durant.
And all these singing bitches know me like do-ray-mi
All these female singers know who I am and want to work with me.
Fa-so-la-ti-do but dough come first
Money is more important than music, even though they both start with the same letters.
No late fees, Kool-Aid smile, Colgate teeth
I pay my bills on time, and I have a bright white smile.
The bigger that I get, the more I need shrinks
The more famous I become, the more I need therapy to cope with my stress and personal issues.
I be in and out of cars like a fucking crash dummy
I get in and out of cars frequently, like a crash test dummy.
Spending money till it's dizzy but I still stash something, you know
I spend my money recklessly, but I still save some for a rainy day.
But I'm tryna get that real real money, like um
But I'm trying to earn even more money.
White people with a black son
Referring to interracial couples who have a mixed-race child.
And first time I met Oprah, that was motivation
Meeting Oprah was a big inspiration to me.
Went from standing in court to starting up a corporation
I went from being in legal trouble to starting my own successful business.
Went so hard last night that we made the morning paper
I had such a great night that it made the news in the morning.
Plus my girl's rated R, all your hoes overrated, damn
My girlfriend is awesome, and all of your girls are overrated.
Niggas say I changed, how they damn how they do
People say I have changed, but how could they say that?
Say I'm hard to get in contact with, oh, is that true?
People say I am difficult to get in touch with, but is that really true?
But what about now? 313
515-8772, bitch, call me
But what about now? Here is my number, so call me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: SEAN MICHAEL ANDERSON, JAMES DEWITT YANCEY, KAMAAL IBN JOHN FAREED, ALI SHAHEED JONES-MUHAMMAD, MALIK IZAAK TAYLOR, WILLIAM DARON PULLIAM, JOHN TANNER, DACOURY DAHI NATCHE, DONG-HWA CHUNG, ISABEL GILBERTO DE OLIVEIRA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind