Oh God - Did Big Sean Really Say He Can Out Rap Anyone? Posted by Lucas G. on 08/08/13 | Filed under Debates, Big Sean

As an emcee, having confidence, almost to the point of cockiness is a necessary attribute. I mean if you don’t think you can hang with the big boys, chances are you wont be able to. I wont really fault an emcee for having a ego (although I’d prefer it if they didn’t) because, in the words of Muhammad Ali “It's not bragging if you can back it up”. Well after a few bold claims from Big Sean, its time for us to see if he can actually back it up. You can find the full quotes on this Hiphopdx article, but below is the crux of the argument.

"Every time I go on to something I always try to like prove myself, but I feel like I got something to prove to somebody,” said Big Sean. “Whether it’s features on songs. Whether it’s my first album, mixtapes. And no matter who I’m on a song with, whether it’s any feature I’ve ever done, from songs like ‘Burn’ to ‘Don’t Like’ to fuckin ‘Clique’ to anybody. Whether it’s a legend or your favorite rapper, I’mma out rap they ass no matter what. And that just is what it is.”

Now before we begin, lets clear some things up so that I can try to limit being called a hater (although its probably inevitable). To prevent those stans from accusing me of blind hateration, I am willing to accept the burden of proof (although it should be on Sean). What does that mean? Well it means I will be giving Sean the benefit of the doubt, unless it 100% clear---where even his biggest fan can admit he got out-rapped—then the point goes to Sean. It might be a weird way to approach it, but in order to really pick at it, we gotta be objective here. In other words, if you can make the case for Sean having the best verse, then he gets the point.

Also, since he seemed to put the emphasis on his out-rapping emcees as a feature, we will only be looking at cuts where he is not the main attraction. Now that we have that all cleared up, lets get to it.

Pro-Sean Exhibit A: “Clique”


While I didn’t include it in the excerpt above, Sean also mentions Jay-Z by name. So I figure, it would be a good place to start to look at a song which just happens to have Hov and Sean on it; cue “Clique”. It just so happened this is also the song that makes the strongest case for Sean out-rapping anyone. Granted he has the chorus, which helps him stand out, but his verse is actually the strongest, and considering his competition is Kanye and Hov, that’s saying something. With lines like “My block behind me like I'm coming out the driveway” and a flow that is definitely more lively than his normal, relaxed approach, Sean has Kanye beat with ease.

Even the ear test alone, Kanye’s effort is the most forgettable; nothing about it really stands out. Now Jay comes with it, but he start to lose steam when he turns into The Count from Sesame Street and starts rattling off numbers (which seems to be a go-to of his). When all the dust settles, Sean is the winner, and considering he went up against two of the best in the game at dead-ing other emcees, I’d say he gets some points here.

Pro-Sean Exhibit B: “Till I Die”


While out rapping Chris Brown and Wiz Kahlifa doesn’t have the same mystique as outshining Jay and Yeezy “Till I Die”, nonetheless, is another point for Big Sean’s case. While it might be Breezy’s song, this beat fits Sean perfectly, and in addition to having the strongest verse, filled with the best lines, he also mans the hook (maybe that’s the key to his success). Wiz’ verse is a snoozer, he doesn’t say anything clever and his lines are filled with nothing but weed references. While Sean isn’t exactly revolutionizing the lyrical tip—especially with the cringe-worthy, “I be smoking that fire, and she be smokin' my dick” line—he does display some creativity. I couldn’t help but chuckle at “Still rockin' Louis Vuitton condoms, cause I'm so fuckin' in style.” Breezy is relatively forgettable, after his verse I almost forgot he was even on the song; Sean is definitely the anchor and carries this track. Out-rapping both Chris Brown and Wiz Kahlifa another point goes to Sean.

Pro-Sean Exhibit C: “All Me”


For the last piece of pro-Big Sean evidence, lets look at his latest feature where he appears alongside 2 Chainz on Drake’s “All Me”. I think it goes without saying he outshines Chainz, who puts together a verse that is actually not half-bad (but still falls short), so the real competition is between him and Drake. Drizzy, with the hook and the mini-verse at the end gets more time to shine, but still I think Sean displayed the best command of the song. Drake sounds like he is trying too hard and is over-compensating and it just doesn’t work. Sean sounds like the most veteran of the emcees and while it might be close, you can’t easily argue that Drake (or Chainz) out-rapped Sean. Since the burden of proof is on us, point goes to Sean.

Before setting out on this endeavor, I considered Big Sean a mushroom rapper; not psychedelic mushrooms, but normal mushrooms. Alone, I don’t really like mushrooms that much, but put them on pizza, in pasta sauce or chili, or with anything else and I don’t mind them. Sean wasn’t someone I would really enjoy listening to as a standalone, but as a part of something bigger, with a few other flavors and styles I enjoy him. I have to admit; specifically with “Clique” he showed me there is more to his argument than I initially thought.

Is he a top 5, 10, even 20 rapper? I am not sure (and that is a whole different argument) but while the concept of him out-rapping some of the best was easy to scoff at, I have to admit I was sleeping on him a little bit. But hold the phone, before we crown Sean as un-out-rapable (I know its not a word) I did find a few examples where Sean, as a feature, definitely did not out rap his friendly competition.

Anti-Sean Exhibit A: “See Me Now”


Now it might seem unfair to choose this cut because Kanye gets two full verses to Sean’s one, but he said any feature so I think it's fair game no? Sean’s verse on this is actually one of my favorites from him, but when you compare it to Ye’s second verse, it is clear he gets out-rapped. I think even the biggest Big Sean fan would be hard pressed to argue that Kanye doesn’t take the cake. His energy is incredible and some of the bars in that second verse are the best off of MBDTF. Again Sean is good, but Kanye destroys this song. It’s not a knock against Sean, very few rappers can go toe-to-toe with Yeezy when he is at the top of his game and it just so happens he is on “See Me Now”. I think this effort really proves Sean wrong. He might be in the same league as some of the greats, but when those greats are at their best, there is a noticeable gap between them and Sean. It’s like a Olympic sprinter vs. Usain Bolt, they might be able to keep up, but in the end, Bolt is just that much faster.

Anti-Sean Exhibit B: “100”


Now I know I said we would only look at songs where Sean is a guest, but I think, in order to accurately assess the claim that he can out rap anyone, I think we have to pit him against someone notorious for stealing the show; Kendrick Lamar. While they have a song together “100”, Sean is the headliner, but it was a comparison that was too good to pass up; If sean can out rap anyone, can he do it on his own song against someone who loves to takeover? While I’m sure he can, he doesn’t on “100” and is another casualty of Kendrick. Royce is on the song too, but his effort lacks the umph, to be in the running. Like “See Me Know” I think this song shows there is still room for Sean to grow. His verse is good, but Kendrick just has that extra command and power that I don’t hear from Sean. The difference can be found in the cadence, towards the end of his verse, Sean switches up the cadence, squeezing picking up the pace a little bit; it is the strongest part of his verse. While he only has that rapid-fire, cascading flow for a few bars Kendrick shares a similar cadence throughout his whole verse, making it hit much harder much longer.

So what do we make of Sean’s claims after an in depth look into his assertions? Personally, I still consider his claims to be a little lofty. He did show me there is more to him that I had initially thought, but when I consider emcees who are un-out-rap-able, Sean just isn’t in the top tier. I found two instances where I think even the most subjective Sean-stan would have to acknowledge that he out rapped, and those two cases alone prove his claim to be wrong, granted it's closer than I had thought.

See Also:  Drake’s “All Me” features 2 Chainz, Big Sean & RAAAAAAAANDY!, Is (Maybe) Terrible
See Also:  Hey Big Sean, the RefinedHype All Rap Basketball Team Just Crushed You