Send "Big Sean " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Rapping about the pressures of being famous is pretty popular right now. Kanye West and Drake, in their best moments, can make that weight feel like something that could apply to our jobs and relationships, and Big Sean's debut album on West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint takes a similar approach. The idea seems to be that with a deal and a record in stores, the Detroit MC has earned the right to complain with the best of them.While Finally Famous isn't especially nuanced, Sean is an often extremely entertaining rapper. He's able to fit his elastic, smooth voice in the cracks of No I.D.'s lush soul samples just as easily as he slides right over heavier, more radio-friendly tracks like "Marvin & Chardonnay", which features a verse from West. Sean often runs circles around beats, speeding up his voice so that his words cram into a pileup in the end. His appeal is more in the way he plays with language than in his lyrics, which go so far as to make an unfortunate "Family Guy" reference. On individual tracks, Sean's style works well. Even the blandest lyrics are worth a rewind based purely on delivery and enthusiasm. Who knew that "Fuck, I hate to say I told you so/ So buying rounds is my way of saying I told you hos" could sound so believably triumphant? But it's when the guests show up-- a high-profile list including not only West, but also The-Dream, Lupe Fiasco, Pharrell, John Legend, Wiz Khalifa, and Chris Brown-- Sean appears out of place on his own album. Clipse's Pusha T has a particularly strong verse on deluxe-edition album closer "100 Keys", while Sean sounds helium-light by comparison. Ultimately, Sean's a likable character. Still, a line on "100 Keys" encapsulates his faults: "Keys open doors, but bricks open windows," he raps, recalling Clipse's "Keys Open Doors" except lacking their sharp wit and heavy delivery. We can only hope that for album two, Sean will step out from the herculean shadows of the artists he surrounds himself with and learn the art of subtlety....full text |
| Hiphopdx |
| Big Sean has been using the slogan “finally famous” for years, but now it's more of a reality than ever. After a slow burn of a career that began when he signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music in 2007, the Detroit native has garnered a nationwide fan base boosted by ubiquitous online videos, hectic touring and an appearance on the BET Hip Hop Awards. If his official debut is any indication, Sean won't be letting his fame go to waste. At its best, Finally Famous conveys how Big Sean's charismatic talents have evolved through his mixtapes. Establishing chemistry with producer No I.D., he uses a set of melodic, lively soundbeds to boast his skills and chronicle his ascension to the limelight. The stellar “Don't Tell Me You Love Me” sees Sean struggling to cut a good girl loose, and “So Much More” weathers criticism while chasing his dreams with lines like, “They want to see me dead, but I gave 'em dedication.” “Memories Pt. 2” reworks a mixtape highlight by adding a new soundbed and a John Legend chorus to verses about valuing the lows just as much as the highs. Singles “I Do It” and “My Last” showcase Sean's signature bravado and punchlines, and “Dance (A$$)” narrowly escapes formulaic territory by injecting enough personality, comedy and verbal gymnastics to ably complement Da Internz' pounding, dance-ready bassline. He also sounds at home with previous collaborators Wiz Khalifa and Chiddy Bang on the aptly-titled “High.” At other points of the album, star power makes it easy to lose track of Sean's individuality. “Get It” and “Livin This Life” feature solid, cohesive 16s from Sean, but the cameos and/or production by Pharrell and The-Dream are the most memorable parts of the songs. “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay” shows chemistry between Sean and Kanye, but their verses are forgettable amongst Roscoe Dash's catchy hook and the infectious backdrop. Fortunately, each of those songs are still enjoyable enough to avoid the skip button. The lone misstep is the uber-poppy “Don't Wait For Me,” which dilutes Sean and Lupe Fiasco's normally potent rhymes into watery placeholders for its beat and chorus....full text |
| Djbooth |
| I’ll admit that at first I didn’t get Big Sean. Or, more accurately, I didn’t get it when I heard people gushing like the Bellagio Fountains over the skinny young emcee from Detroit. Anytime I hear such hyperbole my instinct is to recoil. So I listened to Big Sean from a distance, wary of drinking the same Kool Aid that made people insist he was the best young emcee in years. That’s how music works in the real world. A song coincidentally comes on at the moment you finally kiss that hot girl you’ve been chasing for months and it’s suddenly one of the best songs of all-time (oh hey there 112’s Anywhere). Get stuck listening to that incredibly annoying guy talk for an hour about how much he obsessively loves 50 Cent and suddenly you flip the channel every time In Da Club comes on the radio. Basically, I had a lot of annoying guys at the office telling me how much they liked Big Sean. And then I started coming around, slowly. A detailed investigation revealed that Sean deserved primary credit for inventing the “elongated pause” flow that suddenly every rapper alive was using; “Bank account got me feelin well….Fargo.” It wasn’t Sean’s fault that style got more overplayed than Everyone Loves Raymond re-runs. Ok, he’s an innovator. Then I got Good Fridayed into admitting he could truly flow. That convinced me to actually listen to his Finally Famous Vol. 3 mixtape, which had its moments, so by the time I pressed play for the first time on his long-awaited Finally Famous album I was ready to believe the hype. As always, the small faction insisting that Sean is the future of hip-hop - and I’d include Kanye’s “Sean could be the Beyonce of rap” in that category – ultimately do a disservice to Finally Famous. Of course if you’re expecting a modern classic it will fall short, but come on board without lofty expectations and you’ll find a damn good album from a damn good rapper. Just take I Do It, a bouncing cut that showcases Sean’s skittering delivery and rewind-worthy lines. He doesn’t sound like anyone else, and in the era of copy and paste emcees that’s no small thing. Similarly, My House inspired more than a couple rewinds and although it could have easily become annoying, especially with a MC Hammer sample involved, Dance (Ass) is undeniably enjoyable. Hell, in all honesty I even like My Last, it’s everything a pop-rap anthem is supposed to be. That song deserves to be a hit. No doubt about it, Finally Famous is full of good music. Pun intended. ...full text |
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