By: Obinna Esomchukwu
Big Sean (a.k.a Sean Don) recently released his fourth studio album — I Decided. The G.O.O.D Music signee is arguably one of the best rappers in the game today, however, Â a few people are not convinced he is of the same caliber as J. Cole or Drake. Nevertheless, Sean Don has proven himself by constantly making hit records.
Big Sean did a great job promoting this project. Unlike, the unorthodox trend, employed by Beyonce, and Drake of just releasing their album with any promotion or announcement. Sean invested a lot of effort into the radio and social media promotion. He also has pop-up shops for I Decided in Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
In this album, Sean opted for a themed narrative. He projected an older version of himself and tries to avoid the mistakes this version of himself made in his past life. This is obviously related to Sean’s present state of mind. In numerous interviews, he explained that his life is probably a second chance to make right what he did wrong in a previous life he cannot remember (deep!). This idea is in line with the Hindu teaching of samsara.
Despite Sean’s spiritual awakening, this album is far from laid back. Tracks like Bounce Back and Sacrifices featuring Migos, both produced by Metro Boomin give you the classic milly rock vibe. But, you quickly realize that even those club bangers have deeper messages embedded within them. For instance, Bounce Back is a song you can dance to in a club or just ride out to and meditate after taking a loss (or ‘catching an L’).
Detroit native, Eminem was also featured on this album. Em laid a fire verse on the track No Favors. This is definitely one of the hardest songs on the album. He also took the opportunity to express his feelings towards the 45th president of the U.S ‘Trump’s a b*tch,’ he said. According to Sean, Em’s verse came only two weeks before the album dropped.
Big Sean a few feel-good records on this album. Lights, Sunday Morning Jetpacks (Ft The-Dream), and Bigger Than Me are the three tracks that have that uplifting / gospel effect. These songs also allowed Sean to display his prolific storytelling prowess which all fit in perfectly with the album’s theme.
The visuals for Bounce Back, Moves, and Halfway Off the Balcony are already up on YouTube, and I expect Sean would make more videos because he is seriously promoting this album. All three videos are fabulous and have intricate themes and narratives which support the entire idea of the album. So, far the three videos have around 50 000 000 views in total.
I Decided is a great body of work. However, I do not see it gaining Sean any new fans or converting those who doubt his abilities as an MC. Regardless, I hope he does great numbers with respect to album sales and tour tickets sales. His tour will start on the 17th of March and he is performing in the Six on the 2nd of April.
Overall, I enjoyed listening to this album. Send a message to cadreeditor@gmail.com and tell us what you think about it or an album you would like us to review. Peace!