We do our darnest to focus on the positive attributes only when it comes to reviewing songs. New artists that sound bad don’t even get reviewed on this platform. Rather than talking bad about them, we let them learn first, judge second. But when you’re a celebrity, when you’re considered an A-lister, and when we KNOW you’re worth millions, we got EXPECTATIONS from you, your image, your sound, your message, your music generally. And Big Sean… You let us down with this Travis Scott collab. Usually your songs are entertaining and dissectable, giving us plenty to interpret, to analyze, and share. Not this time. Today you’re taking the L.
The song starts promising, with Big Sean’s crystal clear voice reverberating confidence and rich-people vibes: “B*tch, I’m back and it’s up, PSA (whoa, whoa)/ I’m too fleek to take off all my sh*t at TSA (fleek)/ I know we met today, but I’ma need that sh*t today (straight up)/ Might go extra-extra just so I can see they face (Hit-Boy, straight up, damn)”, turning out really catchy by the 4th bar. And then sir Travis Scott starts singing… rapping? improvising? He does sound decent and somewhat understandable before the most important line of the song kicks in (aka the one containing Lithuania in it), because when it does, it literally feels like both artists have abandonded the song and put up a big ON BREAK sign: “Tryna snatch you home, my Lithuania”. What are you trying to do Travis? Be mysterious like The Weeknd? What started out decent, entertaining, and rather appealing just got murdered by the bleak hook ending. Oh yes, in case you haven’t figured it out, just like we didn’t until we googled the lyrics, the chorus is made of the 4 bars by Sean plus Travis’s 5 bars.
Mind you, this is considered Big Sean’s song. But Travis is the one leading thus far: “Pass, do you mind? One of a kind/ Get you to sign, I took the fine/ Mulholland Drive, I hesitate and week/ And hit that line, I hit more, say the least” can someone remind me why is this guy famous? This sounds like the most random sh*t written back in 8th grade on the back of a notebook and now put in a song due to lack of creativity. No substance, no cohesiveness, no correlation between the bars, no flow, just ACTING like a rapper. Cause this is NOT a rap artist. This is a guy who got lucky bagging Kylie Jenner and then pretended fame, money, and respect for his mediocre rap skill. And unfortunately it worked. But not everyone is deaf and blind in the presence of money and the Kardashians support. There. We said it. You wouldn’t care, neither would we, who this guy is and what he does had it not been for Kylie.
At only around 01:25 Big Sean decides to come back, reminding us that he too is part of this song. “B*tch, I’m back and it’s up, PSA (whoa, whoa)/ I’m too fleek to take off all my sh*t at TSA (fleek)” hold up, this is the hook! Nevermind, we were joking. Big Sean has not yet rapped a single bar besides the repeated hook halfway through the song.
At 2 minutes in he finally raps a verse: “Lil’ b*tch, don’t talk to me like I’m not me (no)/ Graveyard, up late, sh*t, I’m with the zombies (up)/ Going insane, hard to contain, can’t miss a beat, my heart is the same/ You know it’s flame if I’m in this h*e with Scottie” you see what we were saying earlier? Big Sean is a much better rapper than Travis. His bars make sense and are tied into each other. He has the ability to build up the atmosphere for the next bar while delivering raw energy on the previous one. Not many can pull that off. Travis Scott can’t 😆 Notice how even Big Sean knows he’s doing this collab for the clout and not rap value: I’m in this h*e with Scottie cool Sean, we get it. You got famous friends now.
Big Sean’s verse peaks right around these lines: “Military with the tactics, multi-million, multi-facet/ She like Prince and Michael Jackson, Purple Rain and mirrors dancing” his flow here is so sick, so fun, and such an instant earworm, that is makes the listener wish he’d kept the pattern for at least another 2 bars. Good stuff.
Then we get Travis Scott’s hook part repeated. And the song is done. Conclusion: Big Sean brought some incredible visuals to the table with his Lithuania single, making up for Travis’s bleak delivery, absence of a rap flow, and incomprehensibility. Big Sean also saved the song’s value with his own high-quality bars but one can’t fully allow himself to stan this record for as soon as it feels like it’s about to go down, Travis Scott shows up and kills the vibe.
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2020
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 
This is so well written ❤
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