Big Sean has been away for a long time. The rapper's last album was in 2020, and the first single for his upcoming album, "Precision," got buried by the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle. Fortunately, the buzz is starting to swing back Sean's way. He delivered a standout verse on the new Eminem single "Tobey." He also dropped some knowledge on fans about his iconic "Mercy" verse. The most exciting revelation for Big Sean's new album came on July 12, however. The rapper teased a collaboration with producer icon The Alchemist.
Sean uploaded a snippet of the new song on Instagram. The chatter that we hear sounds like the first couple seconds of the song, with the rapper talking about seizing one's dreams. "You shouldn’t wait for the world to come to you, you gotta go get this shit, baby," he says. "Sun shining, breeze and sh*t. Take it all in ’cause one day it could all…" The production is smooth, with a saxophone riff playing prominently throughout. Sean's caption suggested that the song, which is untitled, might be dropping sooner rather than later. "Guess i gotta go again n show them it ain't luck…"
Big Sean Sounds Stellar Over Smooth Alc Production
Despite being industry veterans, Big Sean and The Alchemist have only worked together once. Sean dropped a stunning guest verse on the Larry June song "Palisades, CA" in 2023. The track was laced with Alchemist's flourishes, as was the entire album. "Palisades, CA" was considered by many to be a 2023 standout, so it's exciting to see two of the three artists on the song reunite. The Alchemist has many different styles as a producer, but the snippet suggests that he gave Big Sean more of the lush instrumentation that he skated on previously. No complaints here.
Both Sean and The Alchemist have ties to Eminem. As mentioned, the former dropped a solid verse on "Tobey." The Alchemist, meanwhile, claimed he'd been working on The Death of Slim Shady prior to its release. None of Alc's beats made the final cut, but he's worked with Eminem on multiple songs over the years. He's also Eminem's tour DJ. Hopefully Sean and The Alchemist can keep the Detroit magic going strong.