With a sophomore album that plays like a memoir, G.O.O.D. Music’s next-in-charge has no ceiling
The 16th Annual Power 30 Issue of The Source Magazine is upon us, and this year, some very special people are involved. The Power 30 is Hip-Hop’s most important heat check. It lets you know who really matters, and who’s really moving and shaking in the industry, be it on the television screen or behind the scenes. Who took the top spot in Hip-Hop’s most talked about and authoritative list? Would it be the perennial hip-hop champion Diddy? Maybe the top spot belongs to Young Money/Cash Money rap pioneer Baby, or DONDA, G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam extraordinaire Kanye West? Let’s not forget about Jay Z, who started his own marquee sports agency and went platinum prior to his album hitting the shelves. With the landscape of Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop media ever changing, the Power 30 has evolved with it. The Digital and Radio Power 30 lists are equally as important, with bloggers and radio DJs having an ever bigger stake in the game than ever. From WSHH to Power 105.1 & Hot 97, we made sure no stone was left un-turned as we ranked the movers and shakers of our culture. The 30 biggest, most important, and most influential figures in Hip-Hop in 2013 can be found in The Source’s Power 30 issue.
No one cares what you think, especially Big Sean.
The 25-year-old Detroit native already has half-a-decade plus in the game, and he’s just getting started. On the heels of his buzz-heavy singles, “Beware” and “Fire,” and a show-stopping leftover track, “Control,” his sophomore album–titled Hall Of Fame–will be in stores tomorrow. You know him from “A**,” “Mercy” and a chart-topping Justin Bieber single, but do you really know Big Sean?
“I don’t know, man. I don’t know how the public looks at me…But then I really don’t care anymore, too much, what people say because it’s kind of like I’m trying to prove a point to myself more than anything.” On the delay of his sophomore album, he had this to say about what it’s like to be among hip-hop heavyweights. “Even though I got signed to Def Jam, they were like, ‘you got to give us a reason to put your album out.’ I had to give them incentive to put my album out over a Rick Ross album, or a Rihanna album. I had to show them that I could do something for ‘em.”
Its an aspect of one’s career that you wouldn’t expect out of someone as overtly confident as Big Sean. From interrupting Kanye‘s departure from Hot 102.7 in Michigan one fateful afternoon, to rapping his way to a record deal, to the rapid fire flows he lends to his counterparts’ albums, it seems apparent that Big Sean is on a fast track to legendary. In his opinion, he’s got a long way to go. With platinum plaques, Grammy nominations, a superstar girlfriend and the catalog to back up his braggadocios raps, to some, Hall of Fame may be premature, but he prefers to see it as a foreshadowing.
“I’m still young but, you know, it’s crazy going from the level I went from to the level I was at. Say you found somebody freestyling on the street right now. And they’re a kid. Then, in a matter of a few years, he’s on songs with Jay-Z. That’s a long way. It takes a lot of improving and getting better at making things happen.”
Make sure to pick up the 16th annual Power 30 Issue of The Source Magazine (August/September), which is available on newsstands in New York City Thursday, August 29th, and nationwide on Tuesday, September 3rd. Read as Sean touches on everything from crafting the perfect album, his love life, his rift with Ludacris and much more.
