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.
You Don't Know
Big Sean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know what you do
You know what you see
You know what you do
You know what you, you don't know what you do!
How about we pretend all these niggas not around
And get fucked up like we was out of town
And tell ourselves that one time doesn't count, tell me
How fucked up you down to get
A pound is it, a thousand tears
Red cup yeah, that's college year
Free liquor got it on scholarship
Bitch act like you don't know what's up
Act like it ain't my crew blowing up
Lose not to much champagne, no throwing up
One time for the set, please go throw it up
It's Finally Famous, overbooked, overpaid and overpriced
But don't get it twisted, that shit ain't happen overnight
Had dreams of balling now I'm NFLing
Let her spend the night, she feel like Cinderella
All she tell me is
You don't know what you do!
You know what you do
You know what you do
You don't know what you do!
You know what you do
You know what you do
And you don't know what you do!
It's just a feeling inside me
And you don't know what you do!
It's just a feeling inside me
You don't know what you
I know, I know, I know I'm the reason you get dressed up
I know, I know, I know I'm the reason you get messed up
Heart breaker, young heart breaker
When you get in the game I swear the whole world commentates you
But man, I don't give a fuck what they saying, I don't give a fuck about opinions
I don't give a fuck about feelings, I ain't no dentist, either I did, I do or I didn't
You could try to tell me how to live my life, I ain't hearing it
I must be doing something right if every mill comes with a spare I guess
Straight, straight, straight up out that dirt, but my t-shirt clean, oh
Do it for the city, that's the 313
That's unnecessary, fuck her like she my secretary
Ass and face is hereditary, her momma, shit, legendary
You don't know what you do
You know what you do
You know what you do
You don't know what you do!
You know what you do
You know what you do
And you don't know what you do!
It's just a feeling inside me
And you don't know what you do!
It's just a feeling inside me
You don't know what you
Go, go, go, go, go
Can't let that high go to waste I feel high on
Some Poles, some poles, some poles, some poles, some poles
Man, watch your back I swear man some of these niggas be
Hoes, hoes, hoes, hoes, hoes
But I'mma live this like I swear that's all I know
Know, know, know, know, know, know
You don't know what you do
You know what you do
You know what you do
You don't know what you do!
You know what you do
You know what you do
You don't know what you do!
You know what you do
You know what you do
You don't know what you do!
You know what you do
You know what you do
You don't know what you
The lyrics of Big Sean’s song “You Don’t Know” depict the rapper’s lavish lifestyle and carefree attitude toward it. The song opens with a repetition of the line “You know what you do” followed by “You don’t know what you do.” The song talks about pretending that the people around don’t exist and getting intoxicated like they’re out of town. The rapper then talks about living in the moment and not letting outsiders’ opinions affect how he lives his life. He understands that he’s the reason people get dressed up and let loose. The chorus is repeated multiple times, emphasizing how much the people around him don’t understand the extent of their influence on him.
In the second verse, Big Sean talks about his success and how he doesn’t care about criticism or opinions. He mentions that every mill he earns comes with a spare, showing his immense wealth. He also boasts about his numerous conquests and how he accomplishes all that he does because of his hard work and dedication. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus several times, explaining that the people around him have no idea how much of an impact they have on him.
Overall, the song seems to be about the rapper living his life to the fullest and not caring about other people’s judgments. He enjoys partying and living extravagantly, and he wants to be surrounded by people who understand and appreciate him. The chorus emphasizes how much the people around him don’t know the extent of their impact, whether it’s positive or negative, on him.
Line by Line Meaning
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you see
Your perception is clear and accurate.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you, you don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
How about we pretend all these niggas not around
Let's ignore everyone else for a bit.
And get fucked up like we was out of town
Let's party as if we are not in our usual setting.
Woah, then go get fucked up and go get out of town, (swerve, swerve)
Let's have a wild time and leave our normal environment.
And tell ourselves that one time doesn't count, tell me
Let's convince ourselves that certain actions won't have lasting consequences.
How fucked up you down to get
How wild are you willing to be?
A pound is it, a thousand tears
Are you willing to drink heavily?
Red cup yeah, that's college year
Let's party like we did in college.
Free liquor got it on scholarship
We can drink for free because of our status.
Bitch act like you don't know what's up
Don't play coy about what is going on.
Act like it ain't my crew blowing up
Don't pretend like my crew isn't becoming famous.
Lose not to much champagne, no throwing up
Let's drink responsibly and not get sick.
One time for the set, please go throw it up
Let's celebrate our crew.
It's Finally Famous, overbooked, overpaid and overpriced
My crew is in high demand and highly compensated.
But don't get it twisted, that shit ain't happen overnight
Our success didn't come easily or quickly.
Had dreams of balling now I'm NFLing
I'm living my dream of being a successful athlete.
Let her spend the night, she feel like Cinderella
I'm enjoying spending time with this woman who feels like royalty.
All she tell me is
You don't know what you do!
This woman is making me aware of things about myself that I wasn't aware of.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
And you don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
It's just a feeling inside me
I have a strong inner sense.
And you don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
It's just a feeling inside me
I have a strong inner sense.
You don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
I know, I know, I know I'm the reason you get dressed up
I know that I am the primary reason you put effort into your appearance.
I know, I know, I know I'm the reason you get messed up
I know that I am the primary reason you party too hard.
Heart breaker, young heart breaker
I break hearts, especially young hearts.
When you get in the game I swear the whole world commentates you
When you become well-known, everyone has something to say about you.
But man, I don't give a fuck what they saying, I don't give a fuck about opinions
I don't care about what others think of me.
I don't give a fuck about feelings, I ain't no dentist, either I did, I do or I didn't
I am decisive and don't pay attention to other people's emotions.
You could try to tell me how to live my life, I ain't hearing it
I won't listen to anyone who tries to control my life.
I must be doing something right if every mill comes with a spare I guess
I must be successful if I always have more money coming in.
Straight, straight, straight up out that dirt, but my t-shirt clean, oh
I came from a difficult background but I'm dressed well now.
Do it for the city, that's the 313
I'm representing my city, Detroit.
That's unnecessary, fuck her like she my secretary
I'm having sex with this woman in a casual, unemotional way.
Ass and face is hereditary, her momma, shit, legendary
This woman comes from a family of attractive women.
You don't know what you do
You are unaware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You know what you do
You are aware of your own actions.
You don't know what you do!
There are things about yourself that you are unaware of.
Go, go, go, go, go
Let's take action and move forward quickly.
Can't let that high go to waste I feel high on
Let's make the most of our good feelings and energy.
Some Poles, some poles, some poles, some poles, some poles
I'm not sure what this line means.
Man, watch your back I swear man some of these niggas be
Be wary of some of the people around you.
Hoes, hoes, hoes, hoes, hoes
I'm not sure what this line means.
But I'mma live this like I swear that's all I know
I'll keep living my life the way I know how.
Know, know, know, know, know, know
I'm not sure what this line means.
Lyrics © Global Talent Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Earnest Wilson, Adam Glasco, Sean Anderson, Ellie Goulding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind