Big Sean Says Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar Biting Accusations Are Misleading

BYGabriel Bras Nevares7.5K Views
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A Conversation With Big Sean
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 30: Big Sean speaks onstage at A Conversation With Big Sean at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live on August 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Big Sean understands why some fans had this interpretation, but he's also aware that just a little research will prove this to be false.

Big Sean's new album Better Me Than You was a tender and impressive album, but it also held a few controversies and debatable qualities. Chief among them for many hip-hop fans online was the track "Yes," which many people felt bit off of the vocal style of Baby Keem. Moreover, the Detroit MC was quick to subliminally respond to this online... Or at least, that's what many fans interpreted when they saw this tweet: "Must not be familiar with my game." During a new cover story with XXL, the Sean Don spoke directly about these accusations and this discussion. While he has a very understanding perspective, he also knows what the truth is.

"I saw a little bit of the conversation when the ‘Yes’ video dropped," Big Sean expressed. "About like, ‘Oh, he’s trying to sound like him,’ or, ‘He’s trying to sound like Kendrick’ or, ‘He’s trying to sound like Baby Keem,’ or, ‘He’s trying to sound like…’ who knows? And I was kind of confused personally by it, but then when I did some research, I was like, ‘Oh, I see that.’

Big Sean's "Yes": Stream & Watch The Music Video

"But also I’ve been doing that since 2014, you know what I’m saying?" Big Sean posited. "Since even on a Drake clip that he posted, [where I’m rapping], ‘H*e, shut the f**k up,’ It’s really them flows or that ‘Paradise (Extended)’ that I literally listened to when I was making that stuff for… So, I can’t really read into it too much. I saw some of it, but I can’t be all up on the internet because that s**t’ll have you f***ed up." Elsewhere during this interview, he also confirmed previous hints that a joint project with The Alchemist is coming out in the future.

Meanwhile, Big Sean also clarified whether or not he dissed Lil Yachty on the bonus track "Wire Me." "I wasn’t talking about [Lil Yachty]," he told Complex. "Yachty is on the album as well. On ‘Yes,’ he’s doing ad-libs with me. No, I’m not taking a jab at Yachty. It was like a whole double entendre. If I was referencing him, that would have been a whole other entendre. He was in the studio with me while I was making the album. He actually has a verse on [‘Yes’] too. I might throw it on there later."

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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