24 hours after its release Big Sean’s latest song, “Control,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica is still the biggest trending topic in hip-hop. Rappers like Fabolous, Meek Mill, Travi$ Scott and countless others have spoken out on Twitter, but none have dropped any real ether at Kendrick. A few New York natives like Joell Ortiz and Fred The Godson did fire warning shots. However, the song’s rightful owner has his own views on the track.
“I knew what it was for the culture of hip-hop,” Big Sean tells VIBE exclusively. “You see how excited people are, and I wanted to do that for music—make that play happen. It gave me like the feeling of how hip-hop was. How it used to be.”
Originally, Sean wanted the record for his forthcoming album, Hall of Fame, but a sample issue pushed Detroit’s own to toss it out online as a freebie for the fans. The G.O.O.D. Music rapper says he wrote his verse first before sending the beat off to Kendrick and Jay Electronica.
“When I heard [Kendrick’s] verse I wasn’t about to go back and change my verse—that’s cheating,” Big Sean tells VIBE. “That ain’t the way of an O.G. That ain’t how G’s move. I wanted to [release the song] for the culture of hip-hop as opposed to myself. “
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yesioCAIhNE%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_detailpage
On the track, Kendrick takes aim at his friendly competition by spitting: “I’m usually homeboys with the same niggas as I’m rhymin’ wit/But this is hip-hop and them niggas should know what time it is/And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller/I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you niggas/Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas/They don’t wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas.”
Sean was well aware of the response the song would receive before he dropped it, and proudly accepts his position as the messenger of fire. “It’s hip-hop. It’s a sport. It should get back to being competitive if that’s what people want to do,” says Sean.
He continues: “I ain’t no hoe ass nigga like that to hear a verse like that and be like ‘I gotta go back and [rewrite] my shit, I gotta go protect myself.’ Nah, it is what it is. I’m a good ass rapper,” Sean tells VIBE. “I just want people to remember I had the song. I knew what it was. No, I didn’t change my verse because I’m not a hoe ass nigga. I’m a real ass nigga from Detroit. I rep for everything that I do. I knew what it was going to do for hip-hop. I knew what it was going to do for the culture. This is the most exciting rap song to drop this year this year. Period. “
Hall of Fame hits iTunes and retailers on August 27. Pre-order on itunes here.
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Photo Credit: Karl Ferguson