‘Dark Sky Paradise’ Turns 10 — Here’s How Big Sean Honored One Of His Best Albums

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Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise has officially turned 10 years old. On Monday (Feb. 24), the Detroit rapper paid tribute to his third, and arguably his best, studio album, which he said “changed it all” for him — and probably for plenty of fans, too.

“I just want to say thank you so much. I’m actually in New York shooting videos [and] working, which is where I was 10 years ago when this album dropped,” he wrote via Instagram alongside a picture of the project‘s cover. “Honestly, life has never been lining up and feeling so meant to be. Through the ups [and] downs, all of it is amazing.”

He added, “I can’t even lie: This [motherf**kin’] album had such an impact on me [and] my family. I wanna celebrate all year. I owe you all so much! I’m turnt right now!” Dark Sky Paradise was Big Sean’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and deservedly so. It housed the massively successful “I Don’t F**k With You,” Jhené Aiko-assisted “I Know,” and tear-jerking “One Man Can Change The World” featuring Ye and John Legend.

‘Dark Sky Paradise’ Cemented Big Sean’s Presence In Hip Hop
Spanning 12 songs, Dark Sky Paradise barely required any skips, which was admittedly harder to find during the streaming era. The album opened with the melodramatic “Dark Sky (Skyscrapers)” before segueing into “Blessings” with Drake. Ye later jumped on the latter track’s remix, which really should’ve been included on the final cut.

There’s also “All Your Fault,” the “Piece of My Love”-sampling “Play No Games” and “Deserve It,” which features PARTYNEXTDOOR and appears on the project’s deluxe version. Additional contributions came from Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla Sign and Ariana Grande, whom Big Sean was dating at the time. Though the “Beware” artist came relatively close with subsequent releases like I Decided. and Detroit 2, Dark Sky Paradise is hands down one of his best LPs.

For fans looking to revisit the album, Big Sean hinted at an intimate show where he’ll perform the entire project “plus some.” An anniversary vinyl and fresh merch might also be in the works.