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Music

Big Sean

Big Sean seems rather at ease. Positively airy. Maybe it’s the post-OVO glow (he performed at the fest two days prior to this interview), or maybe it’s because in a few days he’ll unleash the baddest hip-hop track in recent memory, Control (which didn’t make the album due to sample-clearing issues).

For anyone who thought there was a gap between the breezy pop rap of his debut, Finally Famous, and the emcee chops Sean’s displayed on various other projects, including a handful of Kanye West collabos, Hall Of Fame (August 27, Universal) fills in the blanks. Part personal diary, part must-play-at-every-party record, part love letter to his hometown, Detroit, this is a complete, slickly refined album that delivers the distinct flavour of the hip-hop landscape without bowing to current musical fads. Here, Sean elaborates on his second effort.

Any lessons learned since album one?

I wanted to balance it out with good lyrics, but also not over-rap songs. That’s one of the things I learned with Kanye on Mercy. I did my verse and then heard everybody else’s: Pusha’s and 2 Chainz’s – everybody was spitting a different way. My verse was simple, but it started the song off right. Sometimes you have to be a piece of a puzzle to the song, and I applied that idea to this project.

It’s the summer of the Big Rap Album. Do you have an advantage, having heard all the other majors?

Actually, they heard my album, too. We’ve been in the studio playing each other our albums a while before they came out. I played J.Cole First Chain, with me, Nas and Kid Cudi, months ago, and I played him Fire seven months ago. I played him Beware and Nothing Is Stopping You. I’m somebody who’s not scared to share my work, because I always like to hear what people think.

So if you’re playing it for Kanye or J. Cole, do they offer feedback?

Definitely. Usually when I play it I get great feedback, but, you know, Kanye may have suggestions here or there: take ’em. I usually take ’em if it doesn’t alter the song too much.

Is this album another Big Sean/No ID collaboration?

No ID was the album producer in the sense of overseeing things. Key Wane added a brand new perspective to it. On a lot of songs I mixed soul and trap or EDM or a Blackstreet vibe. I always think there’s flaws in everything but I think it’s a great project, and people can definitely see the progression from my first album.

Are you a perfectionist?

You could work on the album for years, and that’s a disease: never being perfect enough. As an artist you’re never going to be satisfied, especially the artist who hungers for more, who wants to be the greatest. I’ve talked to a lot of my peers, and every time they put an album out, they’re like, “Man, I’m ready for the next one” because they know they could always do better.

So at a certain point you realize you’ll never be perfect.

Yeah, you know? But you can get damn close. I’m pretty sure before my career is over I’ll make an album that’s perfect – to me. My second album, it’s really good, but I feel like I gotta do better. Always.

Do you put pressure on yourself?

Nah, man. You shouldn’t feel pressure about your work and your art. Pressure makes diamonds, so if you do feel pressure you just take it, have fun with it, use it for what it is. That’s what I did.

Any favourite tracks on the album?

Nothing Is Stopping You is really important to me. I talk about how I have a strong faith and I believe, but sometimes you just get to that goddamn point of being depressed, man – that things aren’t going your way and you don’t know what the hell is going to happen. Then I have my mom come and talk at the end, and she’s someone who always lifted my spirits up at those times. It’s a track that really hits home for me, and it will hit home for anybody who’s a dreamer or anybody who has life-long goals, anybody who gets depressed.

Sounds like this album is a lot more personal than the last.

For sure, and they both play their part. Finally Famous got me more established, got me a radio history. And this one is more personal. It tells my story, and that’s what I needed as an artist. This album is a piece to my puzzle as a rapper. It’s not the puzzle, but it’s definitely a piece.

Big Sean plays the Air Canada Centre with Kid Cudi on October 3.

julial@nowtoronto.com | @julialeconte

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