Following the release of his Dark Sky Paradise album, Detroit, Michigan rapper Big Sean appeared on NPR’s Microphone Check to discuss his latest work.
Due to his collaborations with a variety of artists, from Fall Out Boy to Jay Z, Big Sean touched on the criticism he’s received from past collaborations, during his interview.
The Motor City lyricist revealed that he’s reached a point in his career where he can ignore criticism, since who he chooses to collaborate with doesn’t define him as an artist.
“So it’s just like — OK. That song. That’s like something that a lot of people could look at me and be like, ‘Man, that’s like some bulls—-,’” Big Sean said while speaking on Fall Out Boy’s “The Mighty Fall.” “Or, you know, from a certain perspective, it’s not hip-hop. Me, I’m a Fall Out Boy fan. I think they make great music and I like the song that I did with them. And I mean, I’ve done songs with Eminem. I done songs with Kanye and Jay Z, which is dreams come true. And I’ve done songs with Mike Posner, you know what I’m saying, who was a pop singer from Detroit, but he was also my best friend. We also were in his mom’s basement making music together.
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“So it’s like — it just is what it is for me,” he added. “I don’t really care — people have called me this, called me that, or sell-out or, man, da-da-da. But that’s just — people gon’ talk, man. And, if you listen to people, if you let them in your field of energy, man, they could f—- your whole life up. And I don’t like that. I’ve done that before and it’s vibrationally brought me way down. I’m a positive person. So I just — I do a song with Justin Bieber. I don’t even care, man. It’s like, I’ve done a song with Justin Bieber. And I’ve done a song with — it doesn’t matter who I do a song with because that doesn’t define me. That’s just me bringing my style to something. You know what I mean?”
Later in the interview, Big Sean spoke on the goals he has for himself as an artist. He revealed that he’s “here for the long run” and hopes to “push the envelope of lyricism.”
“I’m just trying to get across that I’m here for the long run, that I want to get across that — I want to push the envelope of lyricism,” the rapper said. “I want to keep trying different rhyme schemes out, and hopefully that inspires other people to try stuff and just keep moving forward instead of doing what’s already been done, you know. Making music that means something to, not just myself, but to my listeners. Making music that just reflects the times that I go through, the ups and downs I go through, because people going through similar ups and downs. Maybe even completely different ups and downs, but even so, sometimes they could relate to yours.”
Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise, which was released on February 24, serves as the rapper’s third studio album. The album received a four-star rating from HipHopDX and was projected to sell between 120,000 and 130,000 copies in its first week.
For additional Big Sean coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
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