LOS ANGELES, CA— Big Sean is having a G.O.O.D. year. Since the release of his third studio album, Dark Sky Paradise, earlier this year, the Detroit rapper has hasn’t stopped putting work in. After a lineup of festival summer sets, trading features on a string of songs with Jeremih and Future, Tori Kelly and Justin Bieber, to his fresh hometown show where he brought out Eminem, Lil Wayne and Danny Brown. Now, Sean brings his paradise to RedBull Sound Select’s ongoing 30 Days In LA concert series.
Following sets from Mick Jenkins and MPLS at Hollywood Palladium, Sean Don emerged to a foggy, backlit stage, dressed in all black (complete with artillery vest) to his fan-favorite track “Paradise.” As the blaring beat sounded off, the sold-out crowd cheered before backing the rapper word-for-word on his metaphorical barrage of bars. Shifting through one hit after another, “Clique,” “Dance (A$$),” “All Your Fault” and his mixtape standout “Gang Bang,” he yelled, “I came to party with the homies that have been kicking it with me from the beginning.”
More than matching the energy of the crowd, which was pretty much a wave of dabbing, twerking and moshing, the lights strobed before Jhené Aiko surprised fans for a back-to-back performance of “Beware” and “I Know.”
And just when you thought the night couldn’t get more lit, Sean premiered two new songs off his upcoming project. With featured production from Future, Metro Boomin and Mike WiLL Made It, he confirmed, “just know I’m working, and new music is on the way.”
Taking a moment to share his “rap dream” memories of meeting Kanye West for the first time and how he believed in him before any one else, he thanked the audience for supporting his passions and allowing him to take care of his mother and his hometown of Detroit. Appropriately closing out the night with “Blessings,” it was an impressive stage show that not only showed his countless list of hits, but also his level of the care towards creating music that he can stand behind.
“Thank you to everybody for coming out, this has been the best year of my life.”