Then you have the ever-popular story of Kanye West. West began (as we all know at this point) as a producer for Roc-A-Fella and was a large reason why Hova was able to create his second greatest album he ever recorded in The Blueprint. 'Ye knew though, that his talents weren't limited to the boards and he tried to convince his mentor of this. Despite not having the back of Jay, 'Ye released The College Dropout anyways and "the voice of a generation" has been rapping ever since.
Just a year after 'Ye dropped Dropout, he did an interview for a gospel station (yeah, you heard right) in Michigan, which a one Sean Anderson called his home. Anderson listened to the interview and knew that he had limited time to catch Kanye, so he rushed over to the station and caught West just before he was about to leave. Anderson begged West to let him at least hear his free style, to which 'Ye (probably reluctantly) agreed and afterward, he left him his demo tape. 'Ye thanked Anderson for the performance and tape and then proceeded to leave. This could have been the end of the story for Anderson, and for two years, it looked as if that was the case. But there's a reason I'm writing this review, and its not I focus in on rappers who fail to make it. Once Kanye started his G.O.O.D. Records label in 2007, Yeezy picked up the phone and gave Anderson a call. He would be one of the first to sign to G.O.O.D. and the world no longer know him as "Sean Anderson" but as (it's pretty fucking obvious at this point) Big Sean.
As soon as Sean was signed, he began to work on his first official tape, Finally Famous: The Mixtape, which gained him attention from one of hip-hop's premier magazines, The Source. Sean went back to the studios two years later and released UKNOWBIGSEAN (which, to be honest, was pretty weak), further increasing the anticipation his fans had for a release. Sean originally stated that he and his G.O.O.D. music partner, Consequence, would release their albums on the same day in June of 2010. That never materialized (as most rapper promises do) and so Sean felt as if he needed to make another release anyways, so he came up with Finally Famous 3: BIG (his mixtape titles could've been penned by a fucking five year old) and released it in August later that year. Finally (word play here), Sean set a concrete release date of getting his debut album out by summer of 2011, and he came through, with Finally Famous: The Album being released on June 28th.
While it was great to see Sean get his album out on shelves, it made me wonder why it had taken him so damn long in the first place to make it happen, especially since he had already been signed for four years. There were only two explanations/theories that I could come up with: he worked a ton on the album and wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect before releasing it, or he had problems with the G.O.O.D. label and there was loose ends that he may have had to tie up first before getting the green light to release his debut album.
I had no idea which theory was right and which was wrong, but I got a much clearer picture after finally (I'm really getting sick of this word) the album. Was the wait worth it? Here's my review.
1. Intro (Prod. by Kevin Randolph)
Ehh, nothing too special here. If anything, it does show Sean should have no excuse for bad production behind him (especially since half this album is produced by No I.D., whom I have tremendous respect for). It functions as an intro and nothing more, so I proceed to the next one.
2. I Do It (Prod. by No I.D.)
So begins the first of 8 tracks with No I.D. behind the boards and this one sounds just right for the Detroit young'n. I think Sean wanted to immediately put to rest any rumors that he has no talent or reason being signed to G.O.O.D., and he does a solid job here. The "quagmire, I fuck hoes, I giggity giggity it" was deff. one of the more creative lines I heard all summer and this was a song I had blasting on a daily basis for about a three week period (including my entire trip up and back to go skydiving, which basically became our theme song). However, while there are some gems, Sean drops some corny as fuck lines as well "I'm sipping on whatever I get handed/throwin' house parties so crazy that my house look like a campus" and "all I ever do is big, so all she ever want to do is big". In all, while Sean does, at times, look brilliant, he looks immature at others and he should be thanking I.D. for the crazy beat that saves this song (and don't get me wrong, despite its problems, I still, at the end of the day, like this song overall).
3. My Last ft. Chris Brown (Prod. by No I.D.)
Sean's level drops slightly here, but this is intended as a single after all, so I give him somewhat of a pass. The hook is also decent and Brown was actually probably a good fit to do it (just thank God Sean decided not to let that alter ego "Breezy" loose who that pretends he can rap). I did think, though, it was a fucking disgrace that Sean goes "one time for the West side" (to which this song has no relation to whatever, even if Sean is originally from Santa Monica) and the "put your hands up if you like G.O.O.D. music" was also corny. For a single, this song works for the most part, but for an actual song? Well, not so much.
4. Don't Tell Me You Love Me (Prod. by No I.D.)
The intro had me a little worried because it just sounded too over the top. Fortunately, Sean does have a story to tell, which was a relief. The song is directed at a lover of his whom he cheats on (well, multiple times it seems) and the main point of the track isn't telling her that she should take him back, but he's not stupid and he knows she still loves him, despite his indiscretions. Sean must really hate this chick "Truthfully wish I lied more/fuck you, who is that, I don't know why more", but as showed in the hook, he still has feelings for her "cuz at the end of the day I'll be back in bed with you". I'm still torn on whether I think this song is great or whether it's just a vent session. Whatever the case is, I am in the opinion that it's solid and No I.D.'s beat certainly helps. It's also probably the best track early on in the album.
5. Wait for Me ft. Lupe Fiasco (Prod. No I.D.)
I really would be curious into how dramatic a difference it would be without Sean having No I.D. behind him (probably a lot, lot worse), but as it is, he is lucky enough to have I.D. on his team, and again, he doesn't disappoint with the beat here. The piano keys background is one that has become associated with I.D. and it's implemented on this (not complaining though). Sean himself, does drop a pretty good verse with lines like "My homie served 10 years, is it too late for him to be treated equally?/Too late for him to make it out the hood legally?" and "I hope its not too late, I got my whole life packed inside a suitcase/Ridin in a chevy that shoulda been a Mercedes/Tryna keep my head above water so I stayed out the navy". I was interested to see if Lupe would destroy his partner on here, but after hearing his verse, Sean is deff. the better of the two (but I guess that's to be expected after the piss poor effort Lupe has had this year). This song isn't terrific, but nothing on the album has been to this point, and it's deff. not terrible, so I'm OK with that.
6. Dance (A$$) (Prod. Andrew "Pop" Wansel)
Just as I said there wasn't anything terrible on the album, Sean drops this shit. There's no question in my mind that Sean wanted a track he could hope to hear at clubs (which, I'm not sure if that really panned out for him or not considering I never touch that scene). The "ASS ASS ASS ASS" hook is amusing, but not nearly enough to give this a passing grade. I think it's also a testament to that No I.D. thought I had in the previous song, because this is the first song he isn't in charge of and there is deff. a significant drop off.
7. Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay ft. Kanye West & Roscoe Dash (Prod. Da Internz)
Yeezy cares as much about his performance on this as he did for Sean from '05-'07 as he sounds fucking stupid (in a bad way), "Why my pants sag off, cause I'm rapping my ass off/Flow so ugly, money so handsome/This the fucking anthem, get it?/The fucking anthem" (we've seen Kanye at his best, very recently actually, so I think this just further proves my point he didn't give a shit how he sounded on this). Sean doesn't add anything worth mentioning and Dash is practically nonexistant on this. After a solid start to the album, Sean is quickly taking a turn for the worst.
8. Get It (DT) ft. Pharrel (Prod. The Neptunes)
This isn't bad, but I knew as soon as I heard it that I wouldn't remember it past about 10 minutes. Pharrel's hook is very average as are Sean's verses and the beat is just slightly above that. Skip.
9. Memories Pt. 2 ft. John Legend (Prod. by No I.D.)
No I.D.'s return is a very welcome one and it's honestly amazing how much of a difference you can just see immediately in the overall sound. Legend was a perfect pick for the hook for this track, not just to complement the beat, but for the overall optimism of the track. It's nothing groundbreaking (I tend to say that phrase a lot I've noticed) but I liked Sean's honesty with lines like "See I know I’mma make it, but even if I don’t/Don’t feel bad cuz honestly all the times that I had/Those will be the best memories" and "How many trends you gotta set before you considered great/How many missed calls before you considered fake/How many dreams before its considered fate". Sean does address some problems that every up and comer has, which is refreshing to hear, because most of the time I'm hearing about the stage before they get noticed and then nothing about that "purgatory" period where artists are just starting to make it, but haven't quite nailed down that first release yet. Enjoyed this track and it had me feeling good after listening.
10. High ft. Wiz Khalifa & Chiddy (Prod. Xaphoon Jones)
No No I.D., and, yep, it's another miss by Sean and company. This was Sean's attempt to make a "stoner friendly" track (which has really become a theme with every hip hop album I seem to listen to today, or maybe I'm just starting to see this and its been around for years. My instincts are telling me the latter is the right answer). For it's purpose, I'll admit, it satisfies, but that doesn't change the fact the song isn't that good as is it is. Khalifa pretends to be a rapper again, as his shift to becoming a pop star is becoming more and more complete by the day and Chiddy drops nothing that gains my attention (as was the case with his last mixtape).
11. Livin this Life ft. The Dream (Prod. by No I.D.)
This song never had a chance and the opening hook is fucking awful. I've never been a Dream fan and this doesn't change my opinion on him. Sean uses another track of his album to dedicate as a love song, which was cool early on, but we're past this. This is also No I.D.'s weakest beat on here and if there was ever a song that just reeked of mainstream (well, there's a ton of them in rap today, you don't have to look hard), this one is deff. it.
12. So Much More (Prod. by No I.D.)
I'm really sick of this album at this point. Listening to it straight through, everything just sounds so damn similar. I'm not ripping on Sean for his ability to be creative; I don't think there's much of a debate on that. What I do have a problem with is that none of this is lasting. "Obama" and "Chewbacca" lines are cool for a hot minute, but (and this song is just another example of this) nothing on the album seems lasting. There's so many rappers that come up and just talk about their story, which Sean does again with this, but there's nothing to separate himself (which has me seriously wondering why Kanye thought this dude was that much more special than the 2432 other rappers that probably try to get him to listen to their tapes).
The deluxe version also includes four additional tracks.
13. What Goes Around (Prod. by No I.D.)
The hook, unlike most of the shit on this album, isn't bad, but again, what's the point of this song? I get what Sean's message is, which is basically a "fuck you" to all the haters and that he's the one who has bragging rights now. It's just not interesting enough, so yes, this is another skip (I'm not even being lazy at this point, I just don't care because this album is motivating me to get this review as soon as possible).
14. Celebrity ft. Dwele (Prod. by Filthy Rockwell)
Now this is, well, a little better. At least this got my attention (which 3/4 of this album failed to do) and that's not credit to Sean, but his producer in Rockwell. Sean does spit and I enjoyed his first verse especially "Paparazzi try to pop Big...since I'm in Cali/But I just hide my face doing a Errol Flynns Hoody over my head, Jedi, Anakin", "She ain't got no man in em/She got no companion, she's Jenifer Aniston/I'm trying to hit her, and her friend!". I kinda wish this one would have just been on the regular version, but I'm glad it made some version of the album anyways.
15. My House (Prod. by Boi-1da)
This song just had me laughing. Sean attempts to act like nobody should be fucking with him, but let's be real, if any dude from Wu-Tang (or most groups to be honest, I mention Wu-Tang cause Ghostface has already called him one of the biggest pussies in rap now, next to Asher Roth) would walk up to Sean and even fake him out, Sean would be running. He has no ground whatsoever to stand on and try to talk shit, and songs like this make me wish that he runs into Meth and gets the living shit beaten out of him.
16. 100 Keys ft. Rick Ross & Pusha T (Prod. by Hilton and Brian "WrighTrax" Wright)
Again, Sean tries talking about something he has no part nor experience in. Rick Ross is OK at best on here, but both of them are just shat on by Pusha (which I completely expected). If there's any reason to play this one, it's just to listen to Pusha show both of his performers up. Otherwise, I'm ready to be done here.
Closing Statement: Big Sean was big over the summer and I was a supporter early on. Listening to this album 5 months later though, I've actually woken up, as most of this album does not hold up (and that's a very short period for something to go stale). While Sean does showcase his abilities throughout the album, there's no indication that he will be anything different or special from the other 10000 rappers who can also come up with punchlines today. My analysis now is that Sean didn't get the deal because he was just so much better than anyone else Kanye heard, but that Sean just got lucky. Sometimes that's all you need, and hey, he's making millions more than 98% of the people out there who are also trying to make it in the rap industry. Yet, with the opportunity presented to him, he doesn't take advantage to separate himself, and while things are good now, this could come back to hurt him down the road. None of the songs on here made me jump out my chair, and while this album isn't horrible, it's just meh. The feeling I had after hearing this was like when I go to a restaurant and when I get home, I'm not upset with my meal (as it was OK) and the service, because there was nothing too bad to complain about, and the prices were reasonable, but it doesn't have anything that made me say "I need to go back there as soon as I get a chance again". I'm not pissed that I heard the album; it wasn't a waste of my time. I just have no reason to continue listening to it.
The Verdict: I don't even know if this is even worth a burn. To be honest, I think the best route to take with this album is to just listen to the whole thing on Spotify in a sitting. If you really think it's that special, then by all means, go out and get it, but I think one listen is all you'll really need before you get tired of it (sorry D.J.).
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