Big Sean
Finally Famous
Release Date: Jun 28, 2011
Genre(s): Rap, Hardcore Rap, Midwest Rap
Record label: Def Jam
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Album Review: Finally Famous by Big Sean
Fairly Good, Based on 10 Critics
Based on rating 5/5
Big Sean declares himself "prom king" on his debut, but the Detroit MC sounds more like a talented class clown. After freestyling for Kanye West, Sean scored a deal with Ye's G.O.O.D. Music, and the sharp wit and relaxed, in-the-pocket delivery that caught West's attention are still his strong points: "They sayin' 'sky's the limit.' How Bitch? I'm moonwalkin'," he quips on "Memories (Part II)." Though lazy at times — getting noted weed enthusiast Wiz Khalifa for "High" feels kind of obvious — Finally Famous is a choice summertime rap record, complete with bright, breezy synth beats and cameos from Chris Brown and Mr.
Based on rating 8/10
Named after his successful mixtape series, Big Sean’s official debut skillfully balances his underground promise with his big money dreams and winds up an approachable winner with long-lasting appeal. His hook-filled anthem “I Do It” is an instant floor-filler thanks a No I. D.
Based on rating 4.0/5
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.
Based on rating 6.1/10
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.
Based on rating C-
In a rather impressive moment of self-awareness, rapper Big Sean rhymes on the track “So Much More”, “Standing next to Common Sense and Yeezy.” Here, the Detroit upstart firmly highlights his self-perceived place in the rap world as between the decadence of his mentor/G.O.O.D. Music boss Kanye West and the socially relevant rhyme styles of, say, a Lupe Fiasco. What ends up happening over the course of his debut album Finally Famous, though, is just that and, as the song goes, so much more.
Based on rating 2/5
Kanye West protegé and "hashtag rap" inventor Big Sean basks in the glow of Chicago producer No I.D.'s uplifting, soul-inflected beats on his debut album, an enjoyable enough summertime record that showcases the Detroit MC's ability to trade punchlines with pop choruses. It's impossible not to hear overtones of The College Dropout, especially on the seven No I.D.-helmed tracks that set the tone. But while Big Sean is a charismatic and occasionally clever rapper, he often fails to dominate the big production elements he rhymes over.
Based on rating 3.5/10
Big Sean can’t lose with Finally Famous, and he knows it. He is, after all, Kanye West’s golden child, currently running rap radio with a hit single featuring Chris Brown and a deep, deep album, featuring some of the best production money can buy. But the deck being stacked in his favor does little to change that Big Sean is one of the most anemic, half-assed rappers working today.
Opinion: Excellent
Big Sean opens Finally Famous with his “Intro,” an updated version of fan favorite “Memories,” from the August 2010 mixtape Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG. Rapping over the same beat that his last project ended on, to begin this one, the Detroit native spits, “I’m still dreaming bigger than I’m living.” If that’s the case, Sean’s dreams must be unabashedly ambitious, as he spends the next hour detailing how big his life has become.
Opinion: Very Good
DOLLY PARTON “Better Day”. (Dolly Records/Warner Music Nashville).
Opinion: Average
Sporadically fun, but this set doesn’t paint its maker as a long-term talent. Mike Diver 2011 Detroit-raised rapper Big Sean – a whopping 5’8", physically – has followed a path well travelled to this debut studio collection proper. Potential exhibited on previous mixtapes, encapsulated by the track Getcha Some, has been refined at the expense of some bite.
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