Big Sean: The Message

“We really just need to know that we got each other and that we out here,” Big Sean tells Ebro Darden during a special mental-health-focused episode of The Message. “And that people go through things and they’re never alone in what they go through.” Throughout May 2021—Mental Health Awareness Month—Big Sean and his mom, Myra Anderson, have been releasing videos to the Sean Anderson Foundation website and Instagram that feature tips on how to optimise mental health and general wellness. “She been with me throughout the whole pandemic and she sees the stuff that I have applied to my everyday life that helps me get through and stay productive,” he says. “Some of the stuff she's taught me, some I learned on my own, but she was just like, 'You gotta put people on to this.'” Sean has been one of hip-hop's biggest mental-health advocates since his 2019 admission that he suffers and has suffered from bouts of depression and anxiety. As a superstar MC who long ago saw his wildest professional dreams come true, using his platform to do more than generate streams is something he’s increasingly prioritising. “When I'm in my seventies or eighties and I look back at this moment in time, I at least want to say that I did what I could do,” Sean says. “I gave the knowledge I gave, instead of it being about trying to be the hottest or having a No. 1 song or whatever. It's like, at least I tried—not tried, I did.” Big Sean’s The Message playlist includes selections from Maroon 5, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Eminem, Stevie Wonder, 2Pac and Sean himself, all of which centre a message of self-love.