The Singles Jukebox

You collaborate with dogs, you wake up with…

[Video][Website]
[2.50]

Al Shipley: Rappers have been launching their debut albums with self-congratulatory “I made it” anthems since “Juicy.” But that auspicious comparison point doesn’t make most subsequent examples any less unearned, and this may be a new nadir for the dubious tradition: a fitting fate for Kanye’s sad little Fab knockoff.
[1]

Erick Bieritz: The biggest lyrical problem in hip-hop isn’t sexism or violence or any of the usual subjects, it’s the belief that the destination and not the journey is the best part of a story. On his first single from his debut album, Big Sean is in celebratory “we made it” mode, and thus all he has to offer is epilogue, the least-interesting part of a drama. It’s like 50 Cent skipping his near-fatal shooting or Sean’s benefactor Kanye not bothering to rap about that car accident. Sean vaguely references hard work, but there’s no elaboration. It’s a chronic problem in hip-hop but particularly egregious here, a vapid, empty way to begin a career. “Like I never had it at all” – well, how would anyone ever tell the difference?
[1]

Asher Steinberg: How is it even possible to be more untalented and bland than Drake already is? Until I heard this song, I didn’t think it was. But when I heard Big Sean say that he always had drive like he had to chauffeur it, a witticism with which he rhymed such equally clever quips as “grind hard but got a lot to show for it” and “my team’s so true, we should get a camera crew to follow us around and make a show for us,” I knew that a new bottom in rap had been reached.
[2]

Alex Ostroff: Show for it/chauffeur it. “Do it like Beyonce and put it on Sean”? “Louis Vuitton Sean”? “Hands down my pants / Now she rockin’ Sean John”? We get it. Your name is Sean. And you were apparently the recipient of Kanye’s funny bone when he had it removed shortly after Graduation. Also, Chris Brown.
[3]

Michaela Drapes: I never thought I’d be pining for Drake of all people, but after suffering through Big Sean’s unimaginative, ego-laced, fuck-the-world schtick (so I guess the match with Brown was well-planned then) and the grotesquely misused “Can You Stand the Rain” sample, I need a shower and a listen to that nice kid from Degrassi.
[0]

Edward Okulicz: Exhorting us to put our hands in the air if we “love good music”, Big Sean bursts onto the scene with a proclamation that you should be interested in him, his story, his journey, his music. His journey has no interesting points. His story is not compelling. His music, far from being good, gives absolutely no reason why you should give a damn, being as it is completely generic, bereft of charisma, intelligence, stylish lyricism or exceptional flow. Instead, it contains Chris Brown and a sense of entitlement that doesn’t just border on gross, it colonises the entire concept of gross.
[0]

Jer Fairall: Living for tonight under the spectre of looming apocalypse, a potent metaphor for any manner of post-millennial anxiety on down to the ephemeral nature of 21st century celebrity. If it lacks an expected degree of urgency, it is only because it is awash in the melancholy that Britney couldn’t muster for her own end of the world party jam “Till The World Ends,” and all the more resonant for it. It helps considerably that this newcomer is overflowing with charisma, so much in abundance that it even infects the performance of The Most Hated Man In Pop, himself seeking some combination of redemption and transcendence by indulging in a newfound hedonistic pansexuality. The end is nigh. All bets are off.
[8]

Michelle Myers: The contemplative piano beat could be from a Drake song, but Big Sean’s verse aren’t nearly as memorable or interesting as anything Drake has recorded. I wish Chris Brown wasn’t the best part of this track. He sounds downright pretty on the chorus, delicate even.
[6]

Alfred Soto: The industry is so generous that there’s always room for talentless clones. Recommended to those who think “Juicy” has exerted a baneful influence on hip-hop culture.
[2]

Zach Lyon: Well, yes, neither of them are or ever have been very talented rappers, but at least Kanye had some tricks.
[2]