Community Is Care - Detroit 2 Album Review

By Carter Fife

Earlier this September Detroit rapper Big Sean released his fifth solo studio record Detroit 2. This album follows his last project, a collaborative record with Atlanta super-producer Metro Boomin titled Double or Nothing, by almost 3 years, and we haven’t heard much from Sean Don since. A handful of loose tracks were released in 2019, but luckily fans were treated to a full-length project this year, with two of the album’s 21 tracks teased on Travis Scott’s .WAV radio in the late summer. After a long wait, the album dropped, and as fans had their first listen of Detroit 2 it became apparent that Big Sean made a few noteworthy changes to his formula this time around.

Compared to Sean’s last solo studio record, 2017’s I Decided, this record is a lot less personal with a heavier focus on performance and production. This is a good thing, as I’ve always admired Big Sean’s sincerity in spite of how lackluster and inconsistent some of his writing and mixes have been in the past. The themes on this tape revolve around success, power, battling demons while at the top of your game, and perhaps unsurprisingly - community. In many ways, this is something that is woven into every song and every feature, of which there are many; the idea of cultivating energy and wellbeing through personal spaces and family. This is at first apparent when looking at the title and cover of the project, which features Sean literally placing Detroit street performers above him, but this is also seen in the camaraderie of the people involved with the project. Behind the scenes, producers like Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, Travis Scott, No I.D., Mike Will Made-It, and even Take a Daytrip are all over this thing. On the surface, Sean pulls out all the stops to get guests like Dwele, Diddy, Jhené Aiko, Lil Wayne, Anderson .Paak, Ty Dolla $ign, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Eminem, and even the late Nipsey Hussle on the record. There are even little interludes from people like Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Dave Chapelle peppered throughout Detroit 2 as well. While I was worried that they would collectively overshadow Big Sean on an album that clearly has been a long time coming, each one does a great job at not overstaying its welcome, and lending its energy to help amplify Big Sean’s. This time around, Big Sean also seems to be doing a lot better than we last heard in 2017, as his self-doubt has seemingly turned into a sage kindness despite the fact that we’re all trapped in quarantine for the foreseeable future. 

One of my favorite things about this record is how well Big Sean seems to adapt to this new energy - new energy that is reflected in both the album’s themes as well as its writing and mixes. On a boisterous and victorious album opener “Why Would I Stop?”, Sean says “I don’t complain about life, I adapt” after delivering my personal favorite line of the record, “I don’t jump, I dive in it”. With this new energy, Sean’s raps are more aggressive, more well-thought-out, and composed, carrying a confidence not before seen from the Michigan native. The following track “Lucky Me” has Sean casually flowing over a classic sample before the beat dramatically changes into a fast-paced trap banger akin to Huncho Jack’s Black and Chinese. The intriguing and uncommon nature of many of the mixes is what makes me enjoy this record, mostly because Big Sean makes his job look so easy as we’re being introduced to these tracks for the first time. Something must also be said about the variety of tracks on Detroit 2 as well, as one moment Sean’s steady flow is accompanied by thundering 808s on “ZTFO”, and then the next he’s confidently spitting game with Travis Scott over desolate and metallic guitar and lurching bass signals. Though there are too many tracks to write about each individually, the album has its softer moments on “Body Language” and “Guard Your Heart” that offer a nice contrast against tracks like the nine-minute “Friday Night Cypher” which features a host of Detroit natives trading bars over different beats.

Detroit 2 was a welcome surprise from the GOOD Music rapper, as I honestly did not think that Sean would come as hard as he did on this tape. Between the long list of guests and the overall positive themes of community and love for Detroit throughout the record, this was a welcome change following his last projects. Though it is admittedly easy to criticize Sean for the chronic oversharing and pseudo-intimate moments that have plagued earlier entries in his discography, this time around there really isn’t too much to pick apart with this project. Detroit 2 features Big Sean at his best, or at least the strongest he’s been since his reign in 2015 following the release of Dark Sky Paradise, and with 21 tracks there is certainly something here for everyone. Though the album could have benefitted from being half as long and more consistently subversive with its mixes, I’m glad that we were able to get some new music from Sean before the year was up.

Favorite tracks

Why Would I Stop?

ZTFO

Lithuania (ft. Travis Scott)

Rating: 7

Listen to Detroit 2 here:

Listen to Detroit 2 on Spotify. Big Sean · Album · 2020 · 21 songs.

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Major Key Alert: Dj Khaled Drops 11th Studio Album, “Father of Asahd,” as a Tribute to His 2-year-old Son

By Katie Kocher

Fans have been long-awaiting the drop of Father of Asahd since the title of the album was announced in March 2019 along with the single “Top Off.” Fast forward to this March, he announced the exact release date while promoting the album throughout various social media platforms, along with a trailer for the album. As expected, it serves as a sort of dinner party for distinguished artists to show case their unique sound and talent as opposed to a complete body of work. Khaled likes to make unpredictable pairings as evidenced by songs like “Celebrate,” featuring Travis Scott and Post Malone, “No Brainer” with Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, and Quavo, and “Higher” featuring Nipsey Hussle and John Legend. The music video for “Higher” was shot just before the rapper’s tragic death at the end of March. Khaled’s ability to connect various artists smoothly on a single track is unmatched, which serves as the foundation of his music industry success. 

Khaled is the son of Palestinian immigrants, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started to learn how to Dj in his garage at the age of 13, meanwhile working in small record stores. He met Lil Wayne and Birdman in the beginning stages of their careers, and was able to network and promote himself, eventually getting a portion of a time slot on the local radio station Mixx 93. Finally he was brought on as a regular DJ and given his very own time slot and production credits. 

Some favorites on the album include “Just Us” featuring SZA, on which Khaled once again shows his love for sampling by grabbing Andre 3000’s hook from “Ms. Jackson” by Outkast. 

“Higher” gets quite a bit of attention because of it’s feature of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle and the melancholy that it is bound to evoke in its listeners. The late king of LA delivers two excellent verses in his first release since his passing. His first verse is uplifting and motivating as he raps about his grandparents and how he came to be in America. For the second verse, Khaled switches the beat to something less grand and more mischievous. Nipsey matches this instrumental perfectly and reflects on the harder parts of his life living in South Central. This verse is harder to listen to now that we know Nipsey’s tragic fate. Lines like, “Emptied out the clip, it was broad day/Fuck niggas always gotta learn the hard way” hit different when you’ve seen videos of the late rapper getting shot in the middle of the day. John Legend jumps in for the chorus, giving the track a sentimental touch. 

“Freak N You” combines the raw talent of a rap veteran Lil Wayne with Atlanta native Gunna, who made it big in 2016 from a feature on Young Thug’s track “Floyd Mayweather” and has since become a very sought after voice in the rap game. The track is infectious, catchy, and holds all the qualities of a hit.

“Top off” features the the holy trinity of Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Future and was one of the singles released last year as a prelude to the album. Although this record has gotten mixed reviews, it’s hard to deny that those three can deliver hard hitting lyrics and top notch vocals. 

Lastly, “Thank You” with Big Sean presents a classic mellow beat and smooth flow. It references Sean’s ex and one of the world’s leading artists, Ariana Grande, with the lyric “Plus I gotta thank my exes on some ‘thank u, next shit,’” stirring some questions about their relationship. 

Father of Asahd delivers a handful of radio hits (“No Brainer”), following in the footsteps of his previous albums, yet also throws in a few distinct  tracks that cut deep and are more personalized to certain audiences (“Higher”). As expected, it includes top artists across the hip-hop/rap genre, making it easy for listeners to enjoy at least one if not several tracks from this album. While the album lacks any kind of cohesion, unity, or themes, that should be expected with a DJ Khaled record and listeners should be able to take the collaborative album at face value and have fun with it.

Favorite Tracks:

Just Us (Feat. SZA)

Higher (Feat. Nipsey Hussle & John Legend)

Freak N You (Feat. Lil Wayne & Gunna)

Rating: 6

Listen to Father Of Asahd here:

Father Of Asahd, an album by DJ Khaled on Spotify

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