Aesthetic: Big Sean

In 2005, aspiring teenage rapper Sean Michael Anderson caught wind that Kanye West would be visiting a local Detroit radio station for an interview. After pestering Kanye in the hallway of the station’s offices, Sean was granted the opportunity to spit a 16 bar freestyle that would change his life. Fast-forward one decade, and Big Sean’s third album Dark Sky Paradise has debuted at number one in the US Billboard charts.

It’s a career trajectory that’s seen Big Sean evolve from protege to a bona fide star, hooking up collaborations with the likes of Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Miguel, DJ Mustard and Mike WiLL Made It while inking deals with G.O.O.D. Music, Def Jam and Roc Nation along the way. Known to follow and instigate trends within hip-hop culture, over the years Sean has been seen rocking Bathing Ape, throwback sports jerseys, a Louis Vuitton coin pouch, leather pants, the sharp black suits of G.O.O.D. Music’s “Rosewood Movement” era and the “street goth” look that included pieces from En Noir, Alexandre Plokhov and Rick Owens. His forays into the fashion industry have included his own design of Adidas shoes, a collaboration with streetwear brand Been Trill and the launch of his clothing line Aura Gold to name a few.

Having appeared as a special guest at Kanye West’s surprise KOKO gig alongside Wu-Tang’s Raekwon, Vic Mensa, and UK MCs such as Skepta, JME, Novelist and Meridian Dan the night before, Sean was visibly hyped during our Aesthetic shoot. We caught him during a rare moment of downtime in his dressing room to discuss his influences, image and identity.