Detroit native Big Sean does it one more time for the city with his third album Dark Sky Paradise. With a progression in lyrical depth delivered in the deluxe version, which includes three additional songs, Dark Sky Paradise narrowly convinces us that three may be a charmed number for this Def Jam/G.O.O.D. Music rapper. With the opening track “Dark Paradise,” Big Sean raps that he’s been “waiting all goddamn year” for this moment – well, so have we.
Variety abounds throughout the album, especially with tracks such as “Play No Games,” which take it back to a 90s kind of affection by sampling Guy’s 1998 classic “Piece of My Love.” The track features Chris Brown and a crooning Ty Dolla $ign channeling his best Aaron Hall vibrato.
DJ Mustard’s production is interspersed on many tracks but his work on the song “I Know” is one that ignites your carnal desires. Presenting us with an offer to escape our cloistered day-to-day grind, Sean Don brings the seductive Jhene Aiko back. She entices you with an invitation to “take a load off on my private island / come inside and go into hiding.”
But, it wouldn’t be Sean if he didn’t try to spit something parabolic. Conceptually, Dark Sky Paradise is laden with allegory. Any person reflecting on their plight towards charismatic domination, considers the rifts of success. In lieu of his recent heavy exposure in the media, Big Sean is feeling a bit of pressure and wonders if this is the example he intends to set. We hear him mimic the same sentiment of not getting enough shine song-after-song and Lil Wayne agrees in his feature on “Deep.” Weezy joins in on the pedagogy, expressing frustrations concerning the superficial approaches to rap yet encourages Big Sean to keep at it.
More importantly, he might have given us the uplifting anthem of the year with the soulful ballad “One Man Can Change the World.” Lamenting over the passing of his grandmother and his heralding journey through strife, we’re greeted with a more emotional side of Big Sean. Kanye West and John Legend accentuate this ode, both singing on the chorus, reminding us to keep pushing past those ceilings to the highest skyscrapers.