Big Sean has put his own spin on one of Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign‘s Vultures 2 songs with his new track.
Ahead of the release of his new album Better Me Than You on Friday (August 30), the Detroit rapper shared a track called “Fighting Fires” exclusively on SoundCloud.
Fans may notice that its beat is almost identical to that of “My Soul,” the spiritual closing song on Vultures 2, which dropped earlier this month after numerous delays.
While Ye and Ty’s version — which features vocals from the latter’s imprisoned brother TC — focuses on religion, racism and mass incarceration, Sean spends the majority of the track explaining why he ranks above the competition.
“Realest shit yo favorite rapper ever spit was to detectives / Glorifying something that ain’t even his perspective / Me, I always kept it real, that’s why real street n-ggas respect it / Yeah, in Ford Field they revere me like I’m Barry Sanders,” he brags.
Sean also uploaded another previously unreleased song called “Dirty Work” on SoundCloud but it has since been taken down. It’s unclear if either track will appear on Better Me Than You.
Big Sean first teased “Fighting Fires” in July before Vultures 2 was released, and acknowledged that the track may end up on Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s collaborative album.
The former G.O.O.D. Music MC has endured an unorthodox album rollout after Better Me Than You was leaked in its near entirety earlier this summer, allegedly at the behest of Mr. West.
Although Sean was convinced that his former label boss wouldn’t do such a thing, it may not have helped his mental wellbeing, with the rapper recently admitting that he has “been having a hard time lately.”
“I am a chronic overthinker,” he said during an emotional Instagram Live earlier this week. “I’m a chronic, constant worker. And I’ve been having a hard time lately, straight up. It’s not been easy… But it’s worth it.
“The whole concept of the album is like Better Me Than You, so when you go through your shit, it’s like you the one who can handle it […] It gets hard. Your faith gets tested,” he added while choking up and holding back tears.
Sean Don then credited his mother with helping him rediscover his confidence.
“When me and Jhené were giving our son a bath last night, my mom called me and she was just giving me them words,” he said. “And I was just like, Look, I can keep working and make it exactly how I want it and I’ll be pushing it back forever. Or I can believe in the fire-ass work that I got right now and that’s what I’ma do.
“I appreciate my mom for being that guardian angel and always giving me that advice. She really talked me through it, for real.”
