Big Sean: Better Me Than You
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PHOTOGRAPHY: FILMAWI / STYLING: Cara Hayward / CREATIVE DIRECTION: CHARLOTTE MAYUMI PHIPPS / PRODUCED BY: NOIR PRODUCTIONS / SET DESIGN: ZOE HAZLETT / GROOMING: LUCIA RODRIGUEZ / BARBER: RONNIE MCCOY / WORDS: AMBA MENDY
Big Sean refuses to be boxed in. Rapper, entrepreneur, author, spiritual student. The Detroit legend is forever evolving. And as he steps into 2025, he is not just entering a new chapter. He is writing the whole book.
Literally.
“I’m multi-faceted,” he says, relaxed but focused. “Some days I need the hand of God on me. Some days I just want to turn the fuck up. Some days I’m on my gym shit. This album? It’s all of that.”
That album, Better Me Than You, is his most personal yet. A project that captures the full range of who Sean is and who he is becoming. It is equal parts vulnerable, victorious, spiritual and slick. It is therapy over beats.
“I put everything into this. Some tracks feel like cruising with the sun shining through your window. Others hit like gym motivation. Or prayer. Or joy. Or release. That’s life, right?”
Big Sean is not afraid to admit he has grown. Not just musically, but as a man. “I used to look back at some of my old shit and be like, what was I thinking? Now, I meditate before shoots. I get my energy right. I know how important it is to be the best version of you in any situation.”
“I definitely say a prayer. I meditate."
It is that duality — spiritually grounded, emotionally in tune, and funny as hell — that keeps fans locked in. Over a decade in the game, and Sean still knows how to surprise you.
On Better Me Than You, Sean dives deeper than he has ever gone. The title flips the old phrase on its head. “Usually people say, better you than me. But when you’re the one breaking generational cycles, shifting shit for your family, for your circle, it’s like, nah. Better me. I don’t have to do it. I get to.”
“You don’t have to do it. You get to do it.”
He breaks it all down with a clarity that is hard to fake. “Some songs are evolutions. Like ‘Precision.’ You can hear the DNA of my earlier work in it, but it’s leveled up. The intention, the production, the thought, it’s all dialed in.”
Collaboration is still at the heart of his process. Charlie Wilson shows up on the album in a moment Sean has wanted for years. “I worked with him once before with Ye. But this time it’s different. We were inspired by the Gap Band era. That old-school soul. It felt right.”
He still keeps an eye across the Atlantic too. “I fuck with Skepta. Me and him got some crazy shit that never came out. Dave? One of the best. His mind is next level.”
But music is only part of the story now. Big Sean is writing his first book, a project rooted in mindfulness, purpose, and building a life with intention. He is not trying to preach, just offer what helped him. “This isn’t a guide to enlightenment. It’s a guide to getting your mind right. Tools to become the highest version of yourself. To attract the life you actually want.”
He credits much of his growth to the minds he has spent time with. “Deepak Chopra. Sai Guru. Kobe, rest in peace. I remember him telling me about meditating every morning. The way he explained it stuck with me. These people weren’t just rich or successful. They had a peace about them. That’s what I wanted to tap into.”
Still, there is a humility behind the progress. Sean is not here to act like he has it all figured out. “I haven’t done a proper world tour in a while. I haven’t hit best-selling author status yet. But I’m on my way.”
Ask who he would bring back from history and there is no hesitation. “My grandma, Mildred Leonard. She was one of the first Black female captains in World War II. Tyler Perry is even making a movie about her battalion. I’d love to see what she’d say about all of this.”
Sean has never been shy about his emotions, even in a genre that often rewards bravado over vulnerability.
“I’m a man. And I’m emotional. I’m cool with that. That’s strength. That’s honesty. That’s power.”
And maybe that is what really makes Better Me Than You hit differently. It is not about flexing. It is about freeing yourself. From expectations. From the past. From everything that does not serve you anymore.
Big Sean is not just here to perform. He is here to evolve. To level up, over and over. Whether onstage, in print, or in your headphones, he is setting the tone for a new era.
