At midnight, Big Sean released Detroit 2, his highly anticipated fifth studio album. Detroit 2 comes three years after the rapper released his last album, I Decided, and eight years since his fourth mixtape — the predecessor to his latest release — Detroit.
Big Sean’s new album — a 21-track, nearly 70-minute LP — features collaborations with other Detroiters such as Eminem, Royce da 5’9,” Dwele, Tee Grizzley, and Kash Doll as well as artists like Post Malone, the late Nipsey Hussle, Anderson .Paak, Travis Scott, Wale, Diddy, and Jhené Aiko. Big Sean has already released a music video for the track “Harder Than My Demons,” and a video for “Lithuania,” the song featuring Scott, will debut tomorrow.
Thematically, the album — which the Detroit Free Press says Big Sean first planned to announce on 313 Day before the pandemic hit — is an homage to the rapper’s hometown. Along with its aforementioned guest appearances, Detroit 2 also features spoken-word stories from Dave Chappelle, Erykah Badu, and Stevie Wonder, who all share their experiences with the city and what makes it special.
“I want people to feel the roots of Detroit — the undeniable soul, that unbreakable spirit,” Big Sean told the paper. “Detroit gets slept on sometimes, but I don’t think there’s any greater or more impactful city, especially musically throughout the decades. I couldn’t let that die. I had to do my version of the impact all that music had.”
Before Detroit 2’s late-night drop, Big Sean posted an emotional Instagram story. Appearing choked up, he said, “It’s been a long time coming for sure. I put my first album out almost 10 years ago.” The following stories show the rapper celebrating the album’s release by rapping along to songs and enjoying a cake decorated with the Detroit 2 logo.
Big Sean released his first album, Finally Famous, in June 2011. Featuring tracks such as “I Do It,” “Marvin & Chardonnay” with Kanye West and Roscoe Dash, and “Dance (A$$) Remix” with Nikki Minaj, the album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts and led to his win as Best New Artist at the 2012 BET Awards.
Since then, he has gone on to be nominated for several Grammy Awards, garner three Top 10 Hits on the Billboard charts, and reach platinum status for his albums I Decided and Darky Sky Paradise. The rapper has also given back to his hometown through his Sean Anderson Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to make the lives of young people better.
Stream Detroit 2 below, and visit uknowbigsean.com for more information.
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