Posted by It wasn’t his first album – nor was it even, technically, an album at all – but Big Sean’s 2012 project ‘Detroit’ has become the rapper’s totemic release. A mixtape that carried the creative heft of a full album endeavour, it was a homage to his city, his roots, and to the culture that propelled him forwards.
In a year dominated by lockdown introspection, Big Sean has made the decision to return to Detroit, preparing a lengthy, if at times unfocussed, sequel. ‘Detroit 2’ is a record dominated by some soaring peaks, recruiting an all-star cast in the process; while it doesn’t always hit the target, its misses contain a palpable sense of ambition.
21 tracks sliced into three segments courtesy of spoken word pieces from Dave Chappelle, Erykah Badu, and even Motown icon Stevie Wonder, this is a project defined by sharp contradictions. ‘Detroit 2’ opens with trap-leaning roller ‘Why Would I Stop?’, a display of arena-level bombast before giving way to the rather more introspective ‘Lucky Me’, in which Big Sean reflects on the heart problems that plagued him as a youth. It’s a record of twin poles – the braggadocio which courses through the veins of ‘Body Language’, say, and the pensive up-lift of ‘Guard Your Heart’.
When ‘Detroit 2’ hits hardest, it ranks alongside some of Big Sean’s finest achievements to date. Take the fantastic Nipsey Hussle bars on ‘Deep Reverence’, or the expert swagger of the Lil Wayne aided ‘Don Life’ – both come close to glimpsing Big Sean’s psyche in its 360 panorama. – It can be funny, too. Working in an off the cuff fashion, the afore-mentioned ‘Lucky Me’ pits the agony of ill health against the thrill of survival: “I’m the Chosen One / You know I’m going to live forever like Walt Disney, the Frozen One…”
The spoken word skits, too, are expertly chosen. Dave Chappelle speaks from the heart about Detroit’s influence, while soul icons Erykah Badu and Stevie Wonder have long operated at another level of consciousness.
Yet it’s impossible, really, for a 21 track album to boast a 100% hit rate. ‘Harder Than My Demons’ races out of the traps, but fails to really define itself beyond that one line repeated chorus. Post Malone’s appearance on ‘Wolves’ doesn’t make an impact, while ‘ZTFO’ lingers a little too much on the maudlin.
But perhaps that’s churlish. In a pre-release note, Big Sean observes that he is “hungry on these songs” and that’s a fair summation. ‘Detroit 2’ has that passion, that willingness to progress. Equal parts entertaining and wide, it finds the rapper coming full circle, only to find himself once more.
7/10
Words: Robin Murray
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