The Detroit-based rapper has yet again hit the timeline with a project that has left social media in a frenzy and fans trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind the lyrics and visuals. In this six-minute film starring actors Ryan Destiny and Keith Powers, Detroit seems to be turned upside down due to the rapper’s world-wide fight to prove his innocence against cheating allegations. Destiny and Powers, a trending power-couple beyond the screen, are shown to emulate the battle of the heart and mind, as well as the art of compromise throughout the film.
Image: Instagram
Already amassing more than 400,000 views, the video has sparked controversy over the true meaning behind the Grammy-nominated rapper’s latest work. Many can argue that Sean is trying to shed light on how easy it is to be influenced by the media without any “footage or evidence.” It also shows just how judgemental the world can be, through an allusion of being on trial against the world. Others argue that it shows how dependent relationships today are on social-media and how many people find more truth in comments than the mouths of their own partner.
Image: Big Sean “Single Again”
No matter how we interpret this powerful visual, we must take the rapper’s own words into account. In a statement via-email, Big Sean states that while the visual holds a plethora of messages, “the main one is for people to ‘wake up and smell the roses’ in a world where we wake up and check our phones instead.”
Image: Getty Images
We, as the public, can contribute our own meanings of this song to our heart’s content– as it was meant to hold more than one message. Art is intended to spark different perspectives from all walks of life, if different messages can be relayed from the same piece of work, it has served its purpose. So, the next time you hear the rapper’s new single blaring from your speakers on the radio, remember to smell the roses and enjoy all of the things that life has to offer beyond the dimly lit screen of your cell-phone.