I am conflicted when it comes to Big Sean. I feel that he has some great verses, and there are times where he demonstrates the type of rhyming that separates rappers from MC's. On the other hand, when he's not pushing his lyrical boundaries, one wonders what separates Big Sean from other superficial up and comers. Songs such as What Goes Around, So Much More, and Memories, show that Big Sean really deserves to be on the same label as Common Sense, and to have a guestlist featuring Pharrel, Lupe Fiasco, and Pusha T. In terms of production, you can see the more synthetic, less organic sound that has characterized the production of many contemporaries. Marvin Gaye and Chardonnay has a sound that you can hear on Kanye's new album. Nonetheless, No I.D. Manages to maintain some soul on the record, which is a must considering his status as Kanye's mentor and that Sean comes from Mo-Town.
As much as I like all of these things about this album, its many faults left me wanting more from Sean. It's obvious Big Sean really likes being rich, having nice things, smoking weed, popping bottles, fucking models, blah fucking blah blah. When there aren't slick punchlines and a decent beat to combine with already monotonous lyrics, you have a song like Dance (A$$), which just sucks.
Honestly, I may be unfair, but when you hear a great verse from an artist, you expect him to
consistently be a great MC, and not settle. There are so many rappers who fit this profile to try and find an easy way to connecting to people. Here's what I mean, this is from Memories Part II:
A workaholic addicted to bills,
people addicted to me cuz they addicted to real
My best friend got addicted to pills,
I can't look him in his eyes. You don't know how that shit feels
mentally. I ain't trying to rock no shirts that say “In memory”
I'm praying that he make it, wishin' we could go back
Cuz honestly all the times that we had will be the best memories
That is real shit, and that is something I can connect to. Other songs off the album, when compared to lyrics like above, are just trash.
Overall though, the album is solid, and has versatility. However, I can only see some of these tracks having replay value, because they are the only ones with substance. In addition, it seems a bit formulaic as well. It seems like the tracks are there to fill a quota as opposed to fill a role in the concept of an album. I mean, the titles are dead giveaways. There's the club track (Dance A$$), there's a weed anthem (High), the justify my thug gangsta track (100 Keys), and so forth. As a result, I can't give this album four stars. Nonetheless, Big Sean is nice and versatile MC, if only he was more daring in his songs.
3.5/5
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