Finally Famous (Big Sean Album)

''Finally Famous '' is the debut studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on June 28, 2011, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2010 to 2011, with Kanye West serving as the only executive producer on the album. The record serves as Big Sean's first studio release, under the whole ''Finally Famous'' series, following these mixtapes such as ''Finally Famous Vol. 1: The Mixtape'' (2007), ''Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN'' (2009) and '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big'' (2010).

The album was supported by three singles: "My Last" featuring Chris Brown, "Marvin & Chardonnay" featuring West and Roscoe Dash, and " Dance (Ass)". The album received generally positive reviews from critics. The album debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 87,000 copies in its first week.

Singles

The commercial debut single, titled "My Last", was released on March 1, 2011. The song features guest vocals from American recording artist Chris Brown, while the production was handled by No I.D. The song debuted at number 30 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also topped the '' Billboard''s Top Rap Songs, becoming his first number-one hit on the chart in the United States.

"Marvin & Chardonnay" featuring Kanye West and Roscoe Dash, was sent to radio on July 12, 2011, as the album's second single. The song was produced by Pop Wansel. The song peaked at number 32 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

" Dance (Ass)" was sent to urban radio as the album's third single on September 20, 2011. The song was produced by Da Internz. The remix to , featuring Nicki Minaj, was sent to urban radio on October 18, 2011.

Promotional singles

The album's first promotional single, " I Do It", was released via digital download on May 10, 2011. No I.D. also produced the track, alongside The Legendary Traxster. The song peaked at number 92 on the US ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

The album's second promotional single, "What Goes Around", was released on May 20, 2011. No I.D. also produced the track. The song failed to chart.

The album's third promotional single, "So Much More", was released on June 14, 2011. No I.D. also produced the track.

Critical response

''Finally Famous'' was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 20 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". AllMusic's David Jeffries gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Fun, inventive, swaggering, and smart, ''Finally Famous'' is an exciting debut." William E. Ketchum III of ''HipHopDX'' gave the album four out of five stars, saying "The final product is a solid debut that shows enough of Sean's skill and personality to keep listeners stay tuned, with the room for growth for higher expectations next time around."

Chris Martins of ''The A.V. Club'' gave the album a C, saying "Complexity is a hallmark of any good artist, but Sean seems distracted by clichéd ideas of identity." Kevin Ritchie of ''Now'' gave the album two out of five stars, saying "Kanye West protégé and "hashtag rap" inventor Big Sean basks in the glow of Chicago producer No I.D.’s uplifting, soul-inflected beats on his debut album, an enjoyable enough summertime record that showcases the Detroit MC’s ability to trade punchlines with pop choruses." Sam Hockley-Smith of ''Pitchfork'' gave the album a 6.1 out of 10, saying "We can only hope that for album two, Sean will step out from the herculean shadows of the artists he surrounds himself with and learn the art of subtlety."

Matthew Trammell of ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "''Finally Famous'' is a choice summertime rap record, complete with bright, breezy synth beats and cameos from Chris Brown and Mr. West himself." Jesal Padania of RapReviews gave the album a 6.5 out of 10, saying "On an eleven track album, the production values are high, the choruses are generally pretty great, and it is without a doubt one of the more enjoyable records to bump in 2011."

Commercial performance

''Finally Famous'' debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 87,000 copies in its first week of release. This became Sean's first US top-ten debut. In its second week, the album dropped to number nine on the chart, selling an additional 27,000 copies. On October 25, 2017, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.

Track listing

Notes
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Sample credits
* "My Last" contains a sample of "Can You Stand the Rain" performed by New Edition.
* "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" contains a sample of "Breakeven" performed by The Script.
* "Wait for Me" contains a sample of "It's Too Late" performed by Wilson Pickett.
* "Marvin & Chardonnay" contains an interpolation of " Amazing" performed by Kanye West.
* "Dance (Ass)" contains a sample of "U Can't Touch This" performed by MC Hammer, and contains the elements from " Back That Thang Up" performed by Juvenile.
* "High" contains a sample of "Fighter Plane" performed by Ellie Goulding.
* "So Much More" contains a sample of "Been This Way Before" performed by Roger Troutman.
* "Celebrity" contains a sample of "The Only Thing I Would Wish For" performed by Angela Bofill.
* "My House" contains a sample of "Ain't There Something Money Can't Buy" performed by Young-Holt Unlimited.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

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2011 debut albums
Big Sean albums
Def Jam Recordings albums
GOOD Music albums
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by Exile (producer)
Albums produced by The Legendary Traxster
Albums produced by Key Wane
Albums produced by Mike Dean (record producer)
Albums produced by No I.D.
Albums produced by the Neptunes
Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios