Is Big Sean Good?

Big Sean just dropped his latest album Dark Sky Paradise; a solid record more interesting than its bland title would suggest. This is Sean’s most consistent and, for me, enjoyable work since his Finally Famous mixtapes and the talk around it — as well as the vibe given from the record itself — centers on whether we need to start taking Big Sean as seriously as we do Drake or Kendrick Lamar. Big Sean certainly has the same sort of cache of a Drake or Kendrick, even if he doesn't have the same reverence, but I’m less interested in discussing Sean’s importance in the culture as I am in finding the answer to one simple question: Is Big Sean even a good rapper?

This is the first time that I can remember seeing people talking excitedly and in positive hyperbolic terms with regards to music made by Big Sean. On one level, hyperbole is the only language the internet speaks so you should take this with a grain of salt, but on another level, people are saying nice things about Big Sean’s music—surely that has to count for something. When the Finally Famous album dropped, I found it underwhelming and bloated with guest appearances that only further exposed how dull Big Sean’s verses could be. I was convinced this would be the peak for his career and his follow-up Detroit, only confirmed this for me (quick: name a song other than “Mula” on this album). His nasal voice, penchant for rapping off beat and “boi”/”oh God” ad-libs that were sort of charming at first became an incredible nuisance in a genre that is constantly evolving with each passing day.

Now with Dark Sky Paradise, I’m ready to rethink some things. He’s still got the type of voice that stops a song like “Dark Sky (Skyscrapers)” from hitting with the force or inciting the emotion that a “Dreams & Nightmares Intro” would. For the most part however, Sean sticks to his strengths on these songs, which is being kind of a post-college dweeb. Something I learned a while ago with Sean is you only remember him at his silliest. You probably don’t remember his not bad “Control” verse but you remember that awkward “hoe shut the fuck up” from Drake’s “All Me”. You also remember his “my new girl is on Glee and shit, probably making more money than me and shit” as being both goofily self-deprecating and also another frustrating reminder of his bad habit of rhyming words with the same word.

His goofier lines tend to be the ones that stick in your head when the song is over, which can be a bad thing if you’re not aware of it. “IDFWU” is a hit and it’s also incredibly immature and silly. In a way, it’s the perfect kind of break up song. Adele might get a grammy for talking shit about you but Big Sean made it so that you can’t even step foot in the club. This sort of inanity shows back up in really enjoyable ways on “Research”, a crass song about girl’s going through your phone, and “Win Some, Lose Some”, another relationship kiss-off song that is somehow even more clumsy than “IDFWU” just by attempting to be a delicate ballad.

I’m not sure Sean is fully self-aware about this but he seems to be putting in a stronger effort. All of Big Sean’s music sounds like a rough draft, but before they sounded like a rough draft written after the club when you’re still sweating out the last remnants of ecstasy and champagne. Now they sound like rough drafts after listening to other, better rappers for an extended period of time. I want to believe that he’s now someone I can call “good” but I can’t help but feel like this is a case where the Internet cannot deny his inexplicable popularity anymore and must talk themselves into the idea that he’s reached some next level. He makes fun songs and his musicality has improved over the years, but I find him to be average most of the time. I’m gonna move him from “not good” to “ok” on the “Is X good scale”.