Big Sean, Deep Reverence | Track Review 🎵

Big Sean returns in reflective fashion on promo single “Deep Reverence,” featuring an assist from the late, great Nipsey Hussle.  

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”I” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”]t’s been three years since Big Sean dropped a new album (I Decided., 2017). No worries – the wait is over! The Detroit rapper returns with “Deep Reverence,” the promo single set to appear on Detroit 2, which arrives September 4, 2020.  Worth noting, Sean enlists an assist from the late, great Grammy-winning rapper, Nipsey Hussle. Also worth noting, according to Sean (per Genius), not everyone wanted him to release it ahead of the album, at least initially.  Personally, I’m happy he did![/otw_shortcode_dropcap]

“Deep Reverence” features production work by a team comprised of Hit-Boy, G. Ry, Rogét Chahayed, Audio Anthem, and Johan Lenox. The backdrop is comprised of dramatic, synth-driven, minor-key production.  It’s ultimately a sleek soundscape supporting both Big Sean and Nipsey Hussle. Nipsey takes first blood, kicking off his verse with a bang:

“Fuck rap, I’m a street legend
Block loved me with a deep reverence
I was birthed in a C-section
Hella cops and police presence.”

The sole chorus of the record follows, mostly derived from the aforementioned opening lines of the Nipsey verse. Big Sean follows, delivering agile rhymes; he exhibits an appealing flow over the beat. Like Nipsey, he kicks things off with a bang as well:

“And I got pressure on me
Seven days a week, it’s game seven no me
Life’ll test you out, you live through that, that’s testimony
Givin’ them hell, but now in the hell I got all these blessings on me?”

Throughout his honest verse, he reflects on life including a beef with Kendrick Lamar, a miscarriage with his ex-girlfriend (Jhené Aiko), anxiety, and depression.

Final Thoughts 

“Deep Reverence” is a respectable, thoughtful comeback from Big Sean. It doesn’t land the instance punch the likes of say “I Don’t Fuck with You”, but it’s obviously much more mature.  It seems as if Big Sean is in a different place now, something we saw in a heavy dosage on I Decided.  All in all, a winner in my eyes.

Big Sean • “Deep Reverence” (Ft. Nipsey Hussle) • Getting Out Our Dreams / Def Jam • Release: 8.25.20

Photo Credits: Getting Out Our Dreams / Def Jam