Big Sean Taps Into His Higher Self On New Album ‘Better Me Than You’

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On Friday (Aug. 30) at midnight, Big Sean shared his eagerly awaited album Better Me Than You.

The 21-song effort opened with “Pressure (Intro),” where several narrators weighed in on Sean’s apparent break from releasing music. “The city needs you, dog. Come on, man,” one voice urged, while another pointed out, “Them n**gas saying you ain’t been to the city in over a year.” The Detroit native responded on the next track “Iconic,” in which he confidently stated he’s “back to the basics, back to the work.”

Standout cuts from the project include the Gunna-assisted “It Is What It Is,” “This N That” featuring Bryson Tiller and Kodak Black, “Who You Are (Superstar),” and “Break The Cycle,” which Charlie Wilson lent his vocals to. Additional guest appearances include Eryn Allen Kane, Cash Cobain, Syd, NASAAN, Teyana Taylor, Larry June, Thundercat, and DJ Premier.

Production-wise, Sean called on the likes of former collaborators Teddy Walton and Hit-Boy, as well as familiar faces such as BNYX, WondaGurl, and KAYTRANADA. Listen to the album below.

“I’m at a point in my life where I just let things happen when they’re supposed to happen, so I just felt like it was time,” Sean told Apple Music of the LP’s release. “I was inspired to have fun, first and foremost, but I was also inspired by just the events that were going on in my life.”

“It’s not that I’m trying to prove myself. I’m really trying to improve myself,” he added. “What is really important to me is the progression of myself and passing that on to my family, and to my audience, or to whoever I can.”

Better Me Than You served as a follow-up to 2020’s Detroit 2. The second-mentioned project peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart.