Big Sean has been on a trip ever since last album Hall Of Fame. As the Detroit rapper continue to make hits with a plethora of big names from Travi$ Scott to Common, there seems to be a struggle when he makes an album. This time around, Sean’s new project Dark Sky Paradise brings in a darker vibe compared other projects in his catalogue. You get the feeling as if he’s finally establishing a his own sound, and far more serious than we’ve ever heard before. However, the album also has a few faults that keeps Sean’s project from being a serious project.
The first half of Dark Sky Paradise is explosive, and it give you the feeling like Big Sean is giving it his all. The album starts out with “Dark Sky (Skyscrapers)”, then hits you with the single “Blessings and then a dope Kanye West-featured track called “All Your Fault”. You’re then gifted with the radio-hit “I Don’t F*ck With You” to keep you interested as the album plays on. Sean’s rhymes are repetitive sometimes, but there are significant moments in Dark Sky where his flow and the production are combined perfectly. The MikeWillMadeIt-produced single “Paradise” is a dope example of this. There’s also production from DJ Mustard, Key Wane, and of course, Kanye. “Play No Games” was a dope track that feels like a early 90’s rap slow jam. It is throughout this first half that you get the feeling like Sean’s music is trying to prove something.
Here’s the problem with Dark Sky Paradise though. After “Paradise”, things get a little slow, and when things get a little slow, the album kind of looses its fire. Jhene Aiko’s featured appearances are dope additions to the album, but it’s hard to listen to after the entire turn-up session before. It’s like an actual dark sky was over this section of the album. Although things kind of pick up with “Deep”, Dark Sky Paradise gets a bit stale for a second, and looses the cohesiveness it had from the beginning.
Dark Sky Paradise is an album you listen with caution. Although Sean continues to supply banging hits on his third album, he still struggles with finding an effective way of grabbing the listener. It kind of sucks too, because Dark Sky Paradise attempts to give you a serious effort.