‘Detroit 2’ is the fourth studio album of Michigan rapper Big Sean and serves as a sequel to his 2011 mixtape, ‘Detroit’. It was released on Friday, September 4th, 2020. Prior to the album’s release, two singles were released, “Deep Reservence” and “Harder Than My Demons.” ‘Detroit 2’ is available on all music streaming platforms.
The album begins with the Rogét Chahayed and Hit-Boy produced track “Why Would I Stop?” Throughout the track, Big Sean answers the title question by displaying a never give up attitude. He also asserts the belief that he is incomparable to other rappers in the game and simply untouchable. “I see you critical, I’m the hospitable. Favorite rappers, I done cut they umbilicals.” Big Sean sees his competition as being weak and himself as the more favorable desirable competitor. Later in the song, he confidently raps, “I’m going down as one of the gods/ G-O-D D-O-A, dead or alive.” The Detroit native is confidently proclaiming that he is going to go down in Hip Hop history as one of the best rappers ever.
The next couple of songs on ‘Detroit 2’ is “Lucky Me” and “Deep Reverence” ft Nipsey Hussle. On this track, Big Sean gets personal with his listeners and opens up about several issues in his life. In the first verse of “Lucky Me”, listeners learn that Big Sean was diagnosed with a heart condition at the age of 19. “Man, lucky me/I was diagnosed with heart disease at 19/Could barely stand on my feet/Doctors said they had to cut it open, put a pacemaker on it to put it back on beat/’Til my mama took me to holistic doctors and they prescribed me magnesium for two weeks/ Went back to the regular doctors and they said, “Huh, d—-, looks like we don’t need to proceed.” He continues to open up like this to fans on the next track “Deep Reverence” featuring late California emcee, Nipsey Hussle. In Big Sean’s verse, the first thing he addresses is his beef with rapper Kendrick Lamar by stating, “A lack of communication and wrong information from people fueled by their ego” lead to the feud between the two. Next, he reveals that his current girlfriend Jhene Aiko suffered a miscarriage in their relationship. He ends his verse on “Deep Reverence” with a revelation about his battle with mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
“Friday Night Cypher” is the 20th track on ‘Detroit’. This all-star track features several popular Detroit emcees including 42 Dugg, Boldly James, Cash Kidd, Drego, Eminem, Kash Doll, Payroll Giovanni, Royce Da 5’9, and Sada Baby and is produced by G. Ry, KeY Wane, Jay John Henry, Helluva Beats and Hit-Boy. The nine minute record showcases the talent that the city of Detroit harbors and let’s the world know that Detroit is definitely in the building!
‘Detroit 2′ ends with the motivational like record “Still I Rise”. The song starts off with Big Sean rapping then switches to him inspirationally speaking. “Just remember it’s easier for muthaf—– to count you out than it is to count you in. So you gotta understand if they don’t see where you comin’ from or if they small-minded.” Big Sean is encouraging fans to strive for what they want in life and beat the odds. He is also letting listeners know that sometimes you can be the underdog and still come out on top. Further on in the track, Big Sean states, “And I been there back against the ropes, against the wall/That’s just ’cause you the one that can handle it, you know? Sh– man, you gotta prove yourself/ You gotta rise the f— up.” The Detroit native is basically saying that sometimes in life one may face hardships, but don’t let those hardships discourage you from pursuing your dreams and achieving success.
Overall I give ‘Detroit 2’ seven stars out of 10 stars.