Big Sean
Big Sean’s career has exploded in the last 4 years since the release of his debut album ‘Finally Famous.’ In addition to being recognized by GQ Magazine as 2012’s ‘Hottest Rookie’ and picking up honors at the 2012 BET Awards for ‘Best New Artist,’ Sean also received double Grammy nominations for his collaboration with mentor Kanye West for “Mercy” which also featured G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam label mate Pusha T and 2 Chainz.
With over 6.3 million Facebook fans to date, over 7.1 million Twitter followers, over 3.9 Instagram followers, over 1 million YouTube subscribers, and more than 387 million YouTube views worldwide, the Detroit MC has been in overdrive since 2007, when his Finally Famous: The Mixtape was first issued, followed by Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN (2009), Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG (2010) and Detroit (2012) which was certified “Diamond” by host DatPiff with over 2 million downloads.
Growing up in the motor city, 26-year old Sean Anderson started rapping as a 12-year old at the progressive Waldorf School in Detroit. In high school, he and a friend formed a duo, then entered and won the “Friday Night Cipher” MC contest at hip-hop radio giant Hot 102.7. The win earned them a spot to rap live on-air every Friday night for nearly a year. It was on one of those Friday nights around 2005 that Sean encountered Kanye West (back in the Late Registration era) who agreed to hear the teenager’s freestyle. It was the contact of a lifetime, which led to Sean’s signing with G.O.O.D. Music in late 2007, and his subsequent signing to Def Jam in 2008.
His debut major label effort, ‘Finally Famous’ (released June 2011) made an impressive #3 Soundscan debut in the U.S., inaugurating Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music joint venture with Island Def Jam Music Group. Rolling Stone gave the album 3½ (out of 4) stars, and USA Today gave it 3 (out of 4) stars. The New York Times declared “the fun is contagious,” and used the words “clever,” and “confident,” to describe the best-selling record. Sean subsequently came in #5 on MTV’s “Hottest MCs” List of the Year, boosted by his MTV VMA nomination for Best New Artist. A slew of BET awards nominations including Rookie of the Year, CD of the Year (for “Finally Famous), and both Best Hip Hop Video and Track of the Year (both for “My Last”). ‘Finally Famous’ spun off a triumvirate of crossover hits by Sean that drove album sales for most of 2012: the RIAA gold “My Last” featuring Chris Brown (#1 Rap, #4 R&B, #30 Hot 100 on the U.S. charts); the RIAA gold “Marvin & Chardonnay” featuring Kanye West and Roscoe Dash (#1 R&B, #4 Rap, #32 Hot 100 on the U.S. charts); and the RIAA double-platinum “Dance A$$ (Remix)” featuring Nicki Minaj (#2 Rap, #3 R&B, #10 Hot 100 on the U.S. charts).
Sean released his sophomore effort, “Hall of Fame” in August 2013 to critical acclaim and held an impressive #3 Soundscan debut in the U.S. The Source and XXL gave the album 3 (out of 4) stars. USA Today said about Hall of Fame, “”This is the record that will make Big Sean the superstar he can be. The way he puts words together and the way he crafts his songs, Sean is going to be around for a while.”
2014 also proved to be another milestone year for the Detroit artist, with Sean becoming the first rapper to ever perform at The White House. He also received his first Grammy nomination.
With over 10 million records sold to date, he shows no signs of slowing down. He has released two successful design shoe designs in partnership with adidas Originals.
His latest and third album, Dark Sky Paradise debuted at #1 on Soundscan and it’s lead single, the hit anthem “I.D.F.W.U.” quickly became certified platinum with over 1 million sold.
Billboard said, “With sterling wordplay and a consistent melancholy vibe, the Detroit native took all the tension, the highs and lows, and laid it out on wax, compiling the strongest project of his career.”
His deeply personal and inspiring single off the album, “One Man Can Change The World”, recently won Sean his first moon man at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards for ‘Best Video With A Social Message.’ It was also announced this month that Sean has received 10 nomination at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards in the best hip hop video, best collabo and lyricist of the year categories to name a few.
While his professional work as a music artist keeps him extremely busy, Sean always makes time to use his resources and his voice to give back to the community and those in need through his Detroit based non-profit, the Sean Anderson Foundation.
This past summer he donated a recording studio, “Sean Anderson Studio of Infinite Possibilities” for his album matter Cass Tech High School in partnership with adidas Originals.
