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.
Take Me Away
Big Sean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take me away, way, way, way, way.
(Pick your planet, break it, roll it, blow it, then get blown away.) x2
5,4,3,2,1 blunts passed off
Pick your planet, roll it, toke it, smoke it, then we blast off
I'll probably be on mars when I light up
Clean up, then head down to Venus to get wifed up
Race through space
Damn these colors vibrant
I'm going on a trip without the luggage
But there's baggage cause I bagged it
If the police see I have it
Flash the badge and they'll try to
Take me away, way , way, way , way , way, way.
Take me away, way, way, way, way.
(Pick your planet, break it, roll it, blow it, then get blown away.) x2
Green, yellow,orange, brown, red and that purp purp
Got me on my Final Frontier like Captain Kirk Kirk
Not to be on my ball sack
But, this isn't Star Trek
So puff the magic dragon and hop on my flying carpet
Preacher told me I should listen to more Mary Mary
But, I love Mary so much Imma probably marry Mary
Mary J. naw
Mary Jane like Peter Parker spot a maid
And I hope she feel the same
Take me away, way , way, way , way , way, way.
Take me away, way, way, way, way.
(Pick your planet, break it, roll it, blow it, then get blown away.) x2
Zoomin' the reason that I'm cruisin'
It's cause I'm steady waitin' to exhale
Blowin' on that Whitney Houston
She get me so emotional, delirious
If I hit more than a few times I'm tearin' up
And when life tear me up, god damnit it tear me up
She can be my mascot, always there to cheer me up
Oh my God I'm goin' I'm goin' I'm gone
Call me on my phone nah my nigga I'm zoned out
Take me away, way , way, way , way , way, way.
Take me away, way, way, way, way.
(Pick your planet, break it, roll it, blow it, then get blown away.) x2
Pick it, pick it, roll it (x4)
Then we blast off
Pick it, pick it, roll it (x4)
Then we blast off
The song "Take Me Away" by Big Sean is about wanting to escape from reality and finding solace in smoking marijuana. The lyrics describe a journey through different planets and space as a way to escape from the problems of the world. The song starts off with the repeated phrase "Take me away" which is a call to be transported to a different reality. The lyrics then describe the process of smoking marijuana and the different sensations and emotions it can bring about.
The second verse talks about the different planets the artist wants to travel to. He talks about traveling to Mars to smoke, then heading down to Venus to find love. He also mentions wanting to go to Pluto to get "iced up" which could refer to the idea of escaping reality and creating a new reality using drugs. The lyrics then touch on the idea of police intervention and how they could take him away for having drugs.
In the third verse, he mentions different types of marijuana and the effects they have on him. He talks about feeling emotional and tearful after smoking a lot, but also mentions that marijuana can also cheer him up. The song ends with the repeated phrase "Pick it, pick it, roll it, then we blast off" which brings us back to the idea of using marijuana to escape reality.
Overall, the song portrays a desire to escape reality and the use of drugs as a way to achieve this. The different planets and space travel represent the idea of discovering new realities and finding a place where problems don't exist.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me away, way , way, way , way , way, way.
Big Sean is asking to be taken away from his current reality and transported to a new place or state of mind.
Take me away, way, way, way, way.
He reiterates his desire to be taken away in a more concise manner.
(Pick your planet, break it, roll it, blow it, then get blown away.) x2
This line is repeated twice as instructions to the listener on how to get 'blown away' to a new planet - pick a planet of your choice, prepare the substance, consume it and enjoy the effects.
5,4,3,2,1 blunts passed off
Big Sean and his group are counting down before passing around their rolled substances.
Pick your planet, roll it, toke it, smoke it, then we blast off
Another set of instructions on how to 'blast off' to another planet of one's choice by preparing and consuming the substance.
I'll probably be on mars when I light up
When Big Sean consumes the substance, he imagines he'll be transported to Mars.
Clean up, then head down to Venus to get wifed up
After coming down from the Mars trip, he wants to go to Venus to find a partner and settle down.
The nigga in me wanna go to Pluto to get (iced up)
The 'nigga' in Big Sean (the part of him that likes expensive jewelry) wants to go to Pluto to get iced or adorned with jewelry.
Race through space
Big Sean imagines he's traveling through space at high speed.
Damn these colors vibrant
The colors he sees during his space travel seem very bright and intense to him.
I'm going on a trip without the luggage
He's imagining a trip where he can leave behind all his worries and baggage and take only what's necessary to enjoy the trip.
But there's baggage cause I bagged it
Although he wants to leave his baggage behind, he acknowledges that he's carrying some baggage because he bagged it (picked it up) himself.
If the police see I have it
Big Sean is aware of the legal risks associated with carrying drugs and the potential consequences.
Flash the badge and they'll try to take me away, way , way, way , way , way, way.
If the police see him with drugs, they'll try to take him away and arrest him.
Green, yellow,orange, brown, red and that purp purp
Listing the various colors of the different strains of marijuana he's smoking.
Got me on my Final Frontier like Captain Kirk Kirk
The effect of the drugs has him feeling like he's on a futuristic spaceship, much like Captain Kirk in Star Trek.
Not to be on my ball sack
He's trying to distance himself from the drug culture stereotype of only thinking about getting high.
But, this isn't Star Trek
He acknowledges that drugs can't really transport him to another planet, unlike the science fiction world of Star Trek.
So puff the magic dragon and hop on my flying carpet
He's invoking the image of a magic carpet ride to accompany the drug use.
Preacher told me I should listen to more Mary Mary
A preacher has advised him to listen to more gospel music, specifically Mary Mary.
But, I love Mary so much Imma probably marry Mary
He's playfully conflating the idea of gospel music with the effects of smoking marijuana.
Mary J. naw
He clarifies that he's not talking about Mary J. Blige, but the drug instead.
Mary Jane like Peter Parker spot a maid
He's making a playful reference to the comic book character Peter Parker (Spider-Man), who often interacts with characters named Mary Jane and is also known for his love of weed.
And I hope she feel the same
He hopes whoever he's with is also into smoking weed.
Zoomin' the reason that I'm cruisin'
He's cruising or feeling good because of the effects of the drugs he's consumed.
It's cause I'm steady waitin' to exhale
He's holding in his breath after inhaling the smoke in order to maximize the effects.
Blowin' on that Whitney Houston
He's personifying the smoke as Whitney Houston, and exhaling is like blowing on her to keep the smoke going.
She get me so emotional, delirious
The effects of the drugs are making him feel emotional and maybe a little bit crazy.
If I hit more than a few times I'm tearin' up
He's acknowledging that when he smokes too much, he can start to cry.
And when life tear me up, god damnit it tear me up
He's drawing a parallel between the feeling of getting emotional from the drugs and the feeling of being torn up by life's struggles.
She can be my mascot, always there to cheer me up
He's saying he hopes the drugs can always be there to help him through tough times as a kind of mascot or companion.
Oh my God I'm goin' I'm goin' I'm gone
The drugs have taken hold of him and he's feeling high as he says this line.
Call me on my phone nah my nigga I'm zoned out
He's indicating that he's too high to answer his phone or interact with other people.
Pick it, pick it, roll it (x4)
He's providing more instructions on how to prepare the substance for consumption.
Then we blast off
After preparing the substance, they'll blast off to another planet or a new state of mind.
Contributed by Blake P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
knuckalar
been waitin for the full version for aages
basedjj93
2021. Damn I miss these days
301 Larusso
Artist use to do this alot back in the day, put snippets on mixtapes then you never hear the full version on the album like they said lol.
KidGunslinger
his album and kanye's will be droppin on september 14th
Juan Osorio
prob the best song he came out with beside million dollars
Daft Renaissance
If this isn't on his album I'm gonna be real disappointed
shagreezz3
Im waiting for the full version of Rolling In The Doe
PHORI
WTF the full version came out !? never knew
BigBangTheory92
It's funny this was never on his album.
jab
who's listening to this banger in 2020?