big sean i dont fuck with you about ariana grande

In the end, only a brief cameo from Jhené Aiko for the track “I Know” found Big Sean sharing the stage with, well, anyone. Most of the talk leading into the night was of the possibility of special guests, with frequent collaborators Kanye West and Justin Bieber, along with Drake, all being floated as potentials. It might seem like a simple addition when you consider that Kanye and The Weeknd have long been using the devices as their primary set props, but for Big Sean, it is a direct attempt to join those arena-level artists as the stages get bigger for himself. Armed with an LED screen that backed the entire stage, Sean opened with “Paradise” while perched on top of the screen, where his band would remain for the entire set.

But even better, he backed up the confidence with a set that confirmed his rise as not just a rap sidekick, but a star in his own right.įollowing a successful opening performance from Minneapolis’ Finding Novyon, whose infectious party raps fit with Sean’s style well, and an unsuccessful turn from Mick Jenkins, whose message-heavy rhymes came across as heavy-handed and preachy in this setting, Big Sean instantly upped the level of spectacle that fans are used to from the Detroit rapper by diving in with his production. Still, Sean arrived at the sold-out Hollywood Palladium (as part of Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 30 Days in LA) with more confidence than usual for his 75-minute set. He’s long been known (for better and for worse) as much for his numerous features in songs from the likes of Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, and Ariana Grande as for his own releases, despite his solo albums’ ever growing sales and his rapid improvement as a live performer.

For a rapper who’s been in the spotlight for years, Big Sean’s ascension still seems like a sneaky one.

Big sean i dont fuck with you about ariana grande