Album Review - Big Sean "Detroit 2"

 

Just when I thought 2020 was completely at a lost, an artist I have supported since the very, very beginning returns with a new project for us to enjoy. GOOD Music artist and Detriot native Big Sean graces us with a follow up to his critically acclaimed Detroit mixtape with the aptly named Detroit 2.

After impressing many fans and critics alike, anticipation as high and so were expectations, and now where are here to answer... Did Big Sean come through with another critical success? 

In short...not really.

At first glance this project already seemed like a challenge to get through...21 tracks?! I am not sure what has influenced some artist of today, but quantity usually doesn't translate to quality. Sadly, remnants of that statement are proven to be true in this project. 

The album starts out fairly strong with "Why Would I Stop?" a nice braggadocios track with heavy bass and multiple flows. The track gets out excited for everything ahead, but the next track brings the energy to a screeching hault...and this happens more than once. The next track is actually one of my favorite on the entire project, but it just seemed to be out of place coming directly after a strong and boisterous opener. "Lucky Me" does a dive into Big Sean's struggles not only from his current life, but also branching into his childhood health issues as well. The song really humanizes Big Sean and also provided some insight on where Big Sean beliefs come from. This dichotomy appears a lot in the album, and to be honest I don't like it. 

I won't be reviewing track by track since this album is so long, so I'll get to the point. 

During my first listen I pondered on the question "Why isn't Big Sean as popular and successful as Drake?" This isn't a question that comes from me being a fan, but knowing that Big Sean has a flow and accessible sound that you would think would go over extremely well. On top of that, Big Sean has been around a bit longer than Drake and has excelled at a flow and writing style that Drake also uses. I finally came across the answer I was looking for on my third listen, and to be honest I don't think I like what I discovered...

Big Sean released an enjoyable mixed bag project that showed me that his short comings as a commercial artist are exactly why he will always be steps behind Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and even J. Cole. Big Sean is an artist who has all the components to be the most popular rap artist today. Big Sean raps very well, but in an accessible and not over the top manner, he can hold a tune on hooks and slower songs, he has a very noticeable voice, and his flows work well on almost every beat...but unfortunately Big Sean is very inconsistent. I first thought this was because he "made music for everyone", but that's not true, the other artist I mentioned earlier do the same thing with much greater success, and it's because there is consistency in an important facet of their music. Drake has his commercial formula down, and even when he lacks lyrically, 40's beats are the perfect compliment to what Drake is attempting to do sonically. J. Cole is his own go-to producer, so there is no issue complimenting his own sound, and also J. Cole is a consistently great rapper. Kendrick Lamar has impeccable lyrical ability and is a master of conceptualization. Big Sean has none of these things...he's the downside of being a jack of all trades, and a master of none. 

How is this reflected in the album? 

For starters, this album is terribly ordered. Right after a hype hard hitting track you'll get a song that's somber and slow, or even worse...you'll get an R&B track after a pseudo trap track followed by a great story about Detroit from Dave Chappelle. Some of the transitions on this album made me pick up my phone and double check that I didn't accidentally press "shuffle". What makes it more annoying isn't just a tempo change, some of these tracks contribute nothing to the concept of the album. Outside of drawing in the female crowd, please explain to me what's the purpose of "Body Language" and "Time In"? 

I also tilted my head in confusion after hearing some of the features. Who in 2020 needs Diddy to rap on anything? And Why? I also didn't understand the point of having Dwele as a singer on a track where you're going to sing the chorus yourself? What's the purpose of Travis Scott being basically taking over "Lithuania" and making Big Sean seem like the feature? And don't get me started on "Friday Night Cypher", I'll talk about that later. 

Onto the songs... 

The Good: 

The reason I asked about Big Sean not being as popular as Drake is because I came across amazing tracks like "Lucky Me", "Deep Reverence", "Guard Your Heart", "Don Life", "Wolves", and my personal favorite "Still I Rise". Even some of the songs that weren't my style gave an impressive display of songwriting ability and style from Big Sean, you won't catch me playing "The Baddest" on my personal playlist, but for what it was, it's a pretty solid song. There are some punchlines on this project that were impressive, and made me believe bar for bar Big Sean could stand with the best of them. The production of the more enjoyable tracks fit Big Sean so well, and also compliment his style to how he approaches the track. It's like he went into the studio, stated what mood he was in, and the producer created the beat around his verses. I have no idea how the beat kept up with Big Sean on the end of "Lucky Me" but it was downright incredible, tracks like this one made me wonder why the Sean Don doesn't have more fans. I also wanted to mention that every skit on this album was excellent, it kept the concept together, and also helped share the influence that Detroit had on those who were born there, and those who visited. 

Oh, you mistake me fallin' down for fallin' off (Woah)

Or mistake me bein' soft for speakin' from the heart

I guess life hasn't taught you as much as you thought

Instead of pickin' up your missin' pieces, you pick me apart (God)

Not the most lyrical lines in the world, but the statement Big Sean delves into gives lines like this even more power. 

The Bad: 

Let me remind you again, that this album is 21 tracks. There are quite a few good tracks on this album, but they were drowned out by a songs that leave you feeling unimpressed, or even worse...upset. It seems like Big Sean is also missing a go-to producer, there are some beats that are not has moving as others, though very few of them are bad. Tracks like "ZTFO", "Harder Than My Demons", "Respect It" , and "FEED" are plagued by poor hooks, misplacement, or the weird tendency to try to fit words into a bar and just end up off beat. Also, I have to mention again that "Lithuania" was a miss as well, not for the hook, but for just being a bad fit for this project. Now I can talk about the track that nearly made me stop listening to this album..."Friday Night Freestyle".

I have to give this song it's own section because it's nearly 10 minutes of content that should have been 4 minutes at most. If this is what the Detroit rap scene sounds like, they should stop producing artist until further notice. I've never heard so many corny, repetitive, lazy, and unmotivated verses in my life. Which I partially can't blame them, because the beat sounds like it was made in a basement by a middle schooler. The worst part is I had pretty high expectations for a few rappers on this list, but overall this isn't going to impress those who were looking for some super lyrical cypher showing impressive wordplay and flows. Most of the verses were just boring and unoriginal, and you hear 7 verses before we hear from Big Sean. I give Big Sean credit for an impressive verse, but right when he was done, Sada Baby comes in with easily the most random and lackluster verse on the track. Luckily the tail end of this cypher is saved by Royce Da 5'9' who laid down some dope punchlines and a bit wisdom, then the Detroit legend himself Eminem takes the reigns for two and a half minutes to bring it home. The verse is decent, it's not crazy, but it is one of the best verses on the entire track...which didn't take much. I was so tired after listening to this track, and also it suffered from the same thing most of this tracklist suffers from, it's feels out of place. Of all tracks the "Friday Night Cypher" fits the concept of Detroit 2, but due to how these tracks are ordered, and the production behind them...this is just weird to hear. 

Overall: 

At the end of the day Big Sean is still a talented rapper who has quite a bit to offer, unfortunately it was too much offered, and not enough quality came with it. The highs on this album are really, really high, but the lows really take you out of the overall experience. Not to mention there are still some corny lines on this album as well, if you listen to the album you'll hear them I just didn't want to focus on negative the entire review. The project is still worth a listen, because I feel that Big Sean deserves the attention, but don't expect the album to contend for album of the year. 

Beats: 8/10

Lyrics: 7.5/10

Originality: 7/10

Conceptuality: 5.5/10

Overall: 7/10