Big Sean Reflects On Humble Beginnings And Fatherhood With Scorching ‘Tiny Desk’ Set

After a two-year hiatus, Big Sean has reentered the music scene with the help of a new single, “Precision,” and a Tiny Desk performance.

Accompanied by a live band and supporting vocalists Samoht, Ashly Williams of June’s Diary, and Eryn Allen Kane, Sean masterfully intertwines his array of classics including “My Last,” “Blessings,” “All Me,” “Bounce Back,” and “IDFWU” with witty anecdotes and compelling reflections over the 25-minute set.

The Emmy winner kicked off the concert with “Memories” before segueing into “Nothing Is Stopping You,” the intro from 2013’s Hall Of Fame.

Sean reflected on his early days and the crossroad he found himself at following the release of his sophomore album.

“I remember it was a stressful time for me because when my second album dropped it didn’t do as well as my first album,” Sean explained. “People was like, ‘Oh, sophomore slump. It’s over for him.’ You know, counting me out crazy. And then I was able to lock in and make my third album, which was Dark Sky Paradise, which was one of my biggest albums. The point in bringing that up is, like, don’t let people place their curse on you of what they want you to be or who they think you are.”

He later spoke on the pride he feels coming up as “blog era mixtape rapper” before receiving his life-changing co-sign from Ye.

After performing “Beware” and “I Know,” Sean did shout-out his lady, Jhené Aiko. He spoke on how the aforementioned records led them to create TWENTY88—though he didn’t confirm whether or not a sequel is coming.

“That was an amazing experimental moment for me and it also led to our greatest collab, which is our son, Noah,” Sean gushed.

He closed out his set by teasing a new record, “On Up,” which he dedicated to his son.

Sean considered his Tiny Desk set to be a “monumental moment,” adding, “This is something my kids can look back on, something my family can look back on, and see where dad was at, see where I was at in my career at this point in time.” Watch the full performance above.