Big Sean's career has exploded in the last 3 years since the release of his debut album 'Finally Famous.' In addition to being recognized by GQ Magazine as 2012’s ‘Hottest Rookie’ and picking up honors at the 2012 BET Awards for ‘Best New Artist,’ Sean also received double Grammy nominations for his collaboration with mentor Kanye West for “Mercy” which also featured G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam label mate Pusha T and 2 Chainz in the last year. 

With over 5.5 million Facebook fans to date, over 5.5 million Twitter followers, over 108,000 YouTube subscribers, and more than 57 million YouTube views worldwide, the Detroit MC has been in overdrive since 2007, when his Finally Famous: The Mixtape was first issued, followed by Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN (2009), Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG (2010) and Detroit (2012) which was certified “Diamond” by host DatPiff with over 2 million downloads.  

Growing up in the motor city, 26-year old Sean Anderson started rapping as a 12-year old at the progressive Waldorf School in Detroit.  In high school, he and a friend formed a duo, then entered and won the “Friday Night Cipher” MC contest at hip-hop radio giant Hot 102.7.  The win earned them a spot to rap live on-air every Friday night for nearly a year.  It was on one of those Friday nights around 2005 that Sean encountered Kanye West (back in the Late Registration era) who agreed to hear the teenager’s freestyle.  It was the contact of a lifetime, which led to Sean’s signing with G.O.O.D. Music in late 2007, and his subsequent signing to Def Jam in 2008.

His debut major label effort, 'Finally Famous' (released June 2011) made an impressive #3 Soundscan debut in the U.S., inaugurating Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music joint venture with Island Def Jam Music Group.  Rolling Stone gave the album 3½ (out of 4) stars, and USA Today gave it 3 (out of 4) stars.  The New York Times declared “the fun is contagious,” and used the words “clever,” and “confident,” to describe the best-selling record.  Sean subsequently came in #5 on MTV’s “Hottest MCs” List of the Year, boosted by his MTV VMA nomination for Best New Artist.  A slew of BET awards nominations including Rookie of the Year, CD of the Year (for "Finally Famous), and both Best Hip Hop Video and Track of the Year (both for “My Last”).   'Finally Famous' spun off a triumvirate of crossover hits by Sean that drove album sales for most of 2012: the RIAA gold “My Last” featuring Chris Brown (#1 Rap, #4 R&B, #30 Hot 100 on the U.S. charts); the RIAA gold “Marvin & Chardonnay” featuring Kanye West and Roscoe Dash (#1 R&B, #4 Rap, #32 Hot 100 on the U.S. charts); and the RIAA double-platinum “Dance A$$ (Remix)” featuring Nicki Minaj (#2 Rap, #3 R&B, #10 Hot 100 on the U.S. charts).

Sean released his highly anticipated sophomore effort, "Hall of Fame" end of last summer (August 2013) to critical acclaim and once again held an impressive #3 Soundscan debut in the U.S.  The Source and XXL gave the album 3 (out of 4) stars. USA Today said about Hall of Fame, ""This is the record that will make Big Sean the superstar he can be. The way he puts words together and the way he crafts his songs, Sean is going to be around for a while.” 2014 has already proven to being another milestone year for the Detroit artist, with Sean becoming the first rapper to ever perform at The White House. 

While his professional work as an music artist keeps him extremely busy, Sean always makes time to use his resources and his voice to give back to the community and those in need through his Detroit based non-profit, the Sean Anderson Foundation.

“I’ve been at this nine years and now they start to call,” Russ sings on his breakout single, “What They Want.” Don’t confuse this as idle boasting from the eclectic Atlanta phenom; it’s a reminder that his rapid ascent was anything but accidental.

As the truism goes, there are 10 years of hard work behind every overnight success. In an industry filled with plants and manufactured hype, Russ did it all himself. No deep-pocketed managers funded his ascent. No co-signs propelled his rise.

Since 14, the Atlanta native has dedicated himself to music with a passion you usually only see in Tour De France champions and fictional whaling captains. His music boasts the diverse tastes of someone who grew up everywhere: New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio, and eventually Georgia.

You can detect those regional influences in his hooks of the artists he grew up with—a rich gumbo that resembles 50 Cent passing blunts with Jim Morison; The Allman Brothers jamming with Drake; The Beatles with George Martin swapped for Outkast; the middle ground between 2Pac and Dipak (Chopra).

Early in his teenaged years, his family eventually settled 20 miles outside of Atlanta. Around that same time, he began making beats. Towards the end of high school, he picked up a mic, and taught himself how to play the piano, guitar, and drums. After dropping out of Kennesaw State as a freshman, Russ formed his DIEMON Crew. They shot their own videos, made their own merchandise, and mostly recorded in isolation. At the age of 23, he’s emerged as a DIY pioneer.

When most of his peers mimic the most popular disposable art, Russ has created an uncategorizable style—one almost as brilliantly alien as history’s finest ATLiens.  No exact analogues exist. Russ doesn’t slip back and forth from hyper-melodic inspirational guitar anthems to raw East Coast hip-hop—they’re all effortlessly combined in the same song. There are hints of hammock-rocking reggae, whiskey-soaked Southern rock, and soul-scarred R&B. No gimmicks, just eclectic fusion at its most advanced.

Russ made all the beats. He wrote all the raps and the hooks. He engineered and mixed and sang the songs, played the guitar, programmed the drums, and delved deep into his soul to figure out who he is and what he wants out of life. Then he wrote manifestos like “Do It Myself” to outline the road map for others to follow.

If the true mark of a rebel is to resist accepted falsehoods, speak up for what they believe, and go against the grain, Russ owns that description. Take his current hit, “What They Want.” Sure, the beat is hard and there are bars about girls and his rise to success, but it goes much deeper. He’s the one pulling the strings and pointing out the puppets. He’s savvy and attuned to the demands of the music industry.

This is a business and he’s aware that a sought-after commodity but refuses to fall into the clichéd pitfalls. Russ waited to sign to a major label until he had the leverage to fulfill his vision. No one can ever be the boss of him. He’s desirous of money but wary of it—nothing can compromise his integrity.

Consider “Pull the Trigger,” a song that questions accepted wisdom, rejecting fear, inspiring those on the fence to jump over it and get what they believe they deserve. The drums slap, the piano lines are menacing, the hooks as sticky as Southern humidity. Or “Losin Control,” a forlorn rap ballad as elegantly constructed and artfully sung as anything to ever come out on OVO.

This is heartfelt, truthful music for self-empowerment. Real soul. It’s hard but melodic, sophisticated but with a direct emotional message. There is a quote from the Alchemist, “and, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Russ internalized that message, actualized it, and now, this story’s really about to begin