Big Sean's third LP, Dark Sky Paradise, sees the Detroit MC attempting to capture his first #1 spot on the album charts. Unfortunately as the rapper enlisted an army of producers and featured artists, he forgot about his artistry.
With an all-star cast of guests including Kanye West, Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, E-40, Jhene Aiko, Ariana Grande, and John Legend, Sean wasn't frugal with his feature money. I guess when you can't flow, you buy someone who can.
The smash single, "I Don't Fuck With You" is laughable at best. The mere fact that a song of that caliber can reach #1 on the Billboard rap charts is a testament to the pathetic state of rap radio and quite possibly our society as a whole.
The entire album isn't completely pitiful, though. Mike WiLL Made-It crafted an absolutely bangin' beat for Sean on "Paradise." "Stay Down" has the same ingredients, but with Da Internz providing the beat this time. No feature on either track means we actually get to hear Sean fight for our attention for 4 minutes. I wouldn't call them great, but they're a wee bit of fresh air on an album that suffocates with its stupidity.
"One Man Can Change The World" sees Big Sean alongside Kanye, John Legend and even his grandmother. It's an inspirational tune, but doesn't make sense in the context of an album that contains lyrics like, "You little dumb ass bitch, I ain't fuckin' with you / I got a million trillion things I'd rather fuckin' do." Where was his grandmother when Sean inked those lines? Pick a side, Sean.
I wanted to like Dark Sky Paradise, but it lacks taste. The disappointment is that this feels like a big step backwards from Sean's 2013 album, Hall Of Fame. All of the reasons I listen to hip-hop (metaphors, wordplay, punchlines, new twists on classic samples, etc.) are lackluster on this new album. Even the good moments aren't very memorable. At the end of the day, this clearly wasn't meant for me.
Dark Sky Paradise is available on Amazon (CD, MP3). You can also stream the album for free above.
For Big Sean's latest music, news, and tour dates, check out his Zumic artist page.
