Music

Big Sean has returned. The Detroit native delivered his first album since 2020 with Better Me Than You on Friday (Aug. 30).

Sean Don’s sixth studio album boasts 21 tracks in total with features from Gunna, Charlie Wilson, Kodak Black, Bryson Tiller, DJ Premier, Cash Cobain, Teyana Taylor, Larry June, Eryn Allen Kane and more. There’s even a cameo from the iconic WWE superstar-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Adding some comedic relief, Big Sean sampled Ray J’s iconic call into The Breakfast Club while he was feuding with Fabolous in 2011 on the same track that also samples 2Pac’s “I Ain’t Mad at Cha.”

Prior to delivering the LP, Sean admitted in an emotional Instagram Live that he was apprehensive about releasing the project.

 “I’ve been having a hard f—king time, dawg, I’m not gon’ lie,” he said. “Been in this b—h trying to finish a album, and I’m kinda tired of overthinking it. … And, by the way, n—a, like me, I’ve been trying to be on some sober s–t so a n—a out here raw-dogging his emotions, bro.”

He also made sure to credit his mother for helping him power through those creative insecurities.

“I appreciate my mom for being that guardian angel always giving me that advice,” he added. “She really talked me through it for real. Like I said, I haven’t been sleeping a lot. I been giving this s–t my all. I’m burned the f–k out. I’m tired. I do do this s–t for the people that f–k with me.”

Big Sean heated up with a handful of singles in 2024 including The Alchemist-helmed “Together Forever” as well as “On Up,” “Yes,” “Ya Don’t Stop” and “Precision.” He also guested on Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady single “Tobey” featuring BabyTron.

Sean has put up three consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 with his most recent coming in 2020 with Detroit 2. Better Me Than You was originally slated to land on Aug. 9 before being pushed to the end of the month following a leak. 

Stream the album below.

Machine Gun Kelly has been a mainstay in the rap game for well over a decade and MGK’s shown versatility to dabble in other genres such as rock and even country with his “Lonely Road” single featuring Jelly Roll.

The Cleveland native joined Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast earlier this week where he discussed a myriad of topics including how he feels white people have given him “the most s–t” when it comes to stigmatizing his place in hip-hop as a white rapper.

“I won’t deny that there is a subconscious stigma around that — being white in hip-hop,” he said around the 37-minute mark. “To me, it’s so funny because the streets f–k with me so tough. It’s honestly from other white people that give me the most s–t.”

MGK continued while seemingly saluting his rap battle foe Eminem: “The crazy thing is there’s only been one who’s done it. There’s only been one who’s done it and crossed that line of acceptance.”

Kells returned in July with his John Denver-sampling Jelly Roll collaboration “Lonely Road,” which sits at No. 74 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 following a No. 33 debut.

After laboring over perfecting “Lonely Road” to his standard for two years, MGK admitted he was worried he’d face backlash for people thinking he was attempting to follow in Post Malone’s footsteps in the hip-hop to country pipeline. Posty released his F-1 Trillion album earlier in August, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 250,000 album units sold.

“In the past two years while I was doing ‘Lonely Road,’ Post did this and so the whole time I’m thinking, like, ‘F—ing people are going to think I’m just following this.’ I had to humbly sit there while, for years, I’ve been curating this song knowing I’m gonna have to fight against something here,” he said.

MGK was nervous to play the demo to what became “Lonely Road” for Jelly Roll, but he ultimately let him hear it for the first time while they were driving around together looking for a party following the Grammy Awards in L.A. earlier this year.

“He’s driving himself. I’m like, ‘You drove yourself to the Grammys.’ He’s like, ‘I’m so white trash I can’t get it out of me,’” Machine Gun Kelly recalled. “I get the AUX cord and that same thing that took over when it told me to black out my tattoos or Tickets to My Downfall is the name — those moments when the universe is telling you something, it told me play the demo of ‘Lonely Road.’ I press play and he was like, ‘What the f–k is this?’ I was like, ‘Man, it’s just calling you.’ He was like, ‘I’m on it.’”

Watch the full interview below.