Big Sean rise to the top of the rap game wasn't an easy one. The Detroit emcee collaborated with Mic to deliver an open letter to his younger self. The message is full of advice he would have wanted to know when he was 18 years old.
Sean Don writes "there is more to your life than your future." He advises his teenage self to relax and chill more with his friends, that living free and just enjoying the moment is what got him where he is today. He says that now, at 28, it's becoming harder to motivate himself to improve his musical talents.
The I Decided rapper also writes that despite the racism he must face, someday his hometown will have need for him. He started the Sean Anderson Foundation that has provided water and support for people caught in the Flint water crisis. Take a look at an excerpt from the letter below.
Dear Sean,
Listen, I know you've spent your whole life trying to push back those telling you to not be so hard on yourself. Relax, come hang, chill more. You didn't listen to them then, and I doubt you're going to listen to me now, but I want to tell you this from the heart — our heart: There is more to your life than your future.
You've been telling yourself that by 21 you have to be on, and at 22 you have to have a song on the radio. Rapping's been your job since before it was your job, before you were out of high school, before you faced the decisions that would change everything. That hustle will create your path for you and be a testament to the light you have to share. But it will leave you with a lot more to work on.
Read the full letter at Mic.