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Detroit’s Big Sean returned to social media yesterday after a two-month hiatus to announce the release of new music — his first solo drop since 2017’s I Decide.
Overall, it’s been a relatively quiet year for Big Sean who, since his last release, has endured a very public split from Jhené Aiko, canceled his 2018 Unfriendly Reminder Tour, started going to therapy, and, like so many, mourned the loss of rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle, who was murdered outside of his California clothing store in March.
Ready 🗣 pic.twitter.com/vuWUXJ7iqs
— Sean Don (@BigSean) July 24, 2019
The 31-year-old took to his social media accounts to reveal one of two things: He’s been working and working out. In a post made Monday night, he flexed in a Stone Cold Steve Austin T-shirt with biceps on full display. Later, and more importantly, the “Blessings” rapper posted a video of himself in the studio sharing a snippet of “Overtime” — his latest track set to be released Wednesday, July 24, on “detroit time.” He also revealed what appears to be album art for his forthcoming record, which, based on the neon sign in the photo, may or may not be titled Don Life.
“I didn’t take a break my nigga, I broke/ Broke my heart, broke my soul. Don’t cry for me though/ If you don’t break nothin’ down/ then there’s no room to grow,” he says on “Overtime,” perhaps alluding to his split with Aiko (who, last year, covered up her hyper-realistic Big Sean tattoo with a large galaxy design.
As is par for the course for Big Sean, “Overtime” focuses on the positive and, not unlike his 2017 collaboration with Metro Boomin’ — in which Sean praises the healing properties of ginger echinacea, vitamins, Lavendar eucalyptus, and crystals — “Overtime” reads like a mood board of someone who religiously quotes The Secret.
The track finds Big Sean praising Detroit’s “kings and queens” like Eminem and Aaliyah, and starts with a Drake-sounding intro, building into an uplifting bombast of horns. “Overtime” concludes with a sound-bite from a bowling tournament, during which someone rolls a strike followed by this lyric which promises new music that might harken back to his “I Don’t Fuck With You” days:
“I know your favorite one, dawg/ I’m about to drop the sequel/ Nigga this just the preview.”
Listen to “Overtime” below.
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