Dark Sky Paradise

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Dark Sky Paradise
Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise (Official Album Cover).png
Studio album by Big Sean
Released February 24, 2015
Recorded 2013–15
Genre Hip hop
Length 49:57
Label
Producer
Big Sean chronology
Hall of Fame
(2013)Hall of Fame2013		 Dark Sky Paradise
(2015)		 Twenty88
(2016)Twenty882016
Singles from Dark Sky Paradise
  1. "I Don't Fuck with You"
    Released: September 19, 2014
  2. "Paradise"
    Released: October 7, 2014
  3. "Blessings"
    Released: January 31, 2015
  4. "One Man Can Change the World"
    Released: June 19, 2015
  5. "Play No Games"
    Released: September 22, 2015

Dark Sky Paradise is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist Big Sean. It was released on February 24, 2015, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2015, at various recording studios, primarily in Los Angeles, California. The album features guest appearances from Kanye West, Drake, Ariana Grande, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla Sign, Jhené Aiko, PartyNextDoor, Lil Wayne, John Legend and E-40, while the production was primarily handled by Kanye West, along with DJ Mustard, Mike Will Made It and Vinylz, among others.

Dark Sky Paradise received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the change in Sean's production and lyricism being more atmospheric and substance-filled. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 72, based on 19 reviews. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 173,000 equivalent album units and 139,000 copies in the first week. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By February 2016, the album has sold 350,000 copies in the United States.[1] Dark Sky Paradise was supported by five singles; "I Don't Fuck with You", "Paradise", "Blessings", "One Man Can Change the World" and "Play No Games".

Singles

The album's lead single, titled "I Don't Fuck with You" featuring E-40, was released on September 19, 2014. The production on the song was handled by DJ Mustard, his label-mate Kanye West, and Mike Free. After the reception the song has received, it was released as the album's first single. It became a commercial success peaking at number one on the US Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100. To date, the song has sold over a million copies in the United States.[2]

The album's second single, "Paradise" was released on October 7, 2014. The song was produced by Mike Will Made It. As of September 2014, the song was included as part of his untitled EP; which it was released alongside with these tracks "I Don't Fuck with You" and 2 others, "4th Quarter" and "Jit / Juke". The extended version was then announced to be included on the album.[citation needed] Despite never being sent to radio, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 13, 2015.[3]

In January 2015, Sean released the track, titled "Blessings" featuring guest vocals by Drake and GOOD Music's label-mate Kanye West. The song was produced by Vinylz. It was officially released on January 31, 2015, as the album's third single. The shorten version of the song, featuring the collaboration between Sean and Drake, has been announced to be included on the album. The song peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As of March 2016, the song was certified 2x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4]

"One Man Can Change the World" featuring Kanye West and John Legend was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on June 19, 2015 as the album's fourth single.[5] The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 13, 2015.[6]

"Play No Games" featuring Chris Brown and Ty Dolla Sign, was sent to US urban contemporary radio on September 22, 2015, as the album's fifth single.[7] The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 15, 2016.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 72/100[9]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[10]
Billboard 4/5 stars[11]
Complex 4/5 stars[12]
Entertainment Weekly B+[13]
Exclaim! 7/10[14]
The Michigan Daily B[15]
The New York Times (Favorable)[16]
Pitchfork Media 7.1/10[17]
Rolling Stone 3/5 stars[18]
XXL XL (4/5)[19]

When Dark Sky Paradise was released, it received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 19 reviews.[9] In a review for Exclaim!, Samantha O'Connor noted that "stormier production and moodier lyricism replace Sean's predictable sunny wordplay and pop culture puns," further concluding that "Big Sean has reached a personal high by finding his Dark Sky Paradise, and it's his honesty that takes listeners there with him."[14] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Artistically, three is the charm Big Sean as Dark Sky Paradise is much more expansive than previous efforts, sometimes grinding with executive producer Kanye West's love of the dark, and other times bouncing with the snark, swagger, and style that propelled this Detroit rapper to the top."[10] John Kennedy of Billboard said, "With sterling wordplay and a consistent melancholy vibe, the Detroit native took all the tension, the highs and lows, and laid it out on wax, compiling the strongest project of his career."[11] Justin Charity of Complex said, "Occasionally clumsy but wonderfully plainspoken, and impassioned when he wants to be, Sean has advanced (if not graduated) from the tepid mythmaking of Hall of Fame. Here he's dynamic, and a pretty good rapper."[12] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "A spirited combination of grown-man statement-making and round-the-way bull."[13] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said, "In the last year, he's made real strides toward lucidity, and on Dark Sky Paradise, his third and best album, he is more human than ever before."[16] Jordan Sargent of Pitchfork Media give the album a score of 7.1 out of 10, saying "Dark Sky Paradise is a big leap in the direction of the ideal Big Sean full-length."[17]

Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone stated, "His third and best record isn't that moment yet, but he's one step closer."[18] Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound give the album a B, saying "Mostly, though, Dark Sky Paradise is an ambitious tasteful album from a rapper who's often viewed as neither."[20] Dan Weiss of Spin give the album a six out of ten, saying "More of the same, really, and what same is that anyway? His beats, hooks and musicality tread slightly above water."[21] Dan Rys of XXL give the album an XL rating, saying " 'One Man Can Change the World' in particular, which deals with the loss of his grandmother and his acceptance of her passing, really underlines what the entire work is about: dealing with the ups and downs in life and figuring out the best way to accept them and move forward. With Dark Sky Paradise, Big Sean has finally found that balance."[19]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
Billboard 25 Best Albums of 2015[22] 2015
15
10 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015[23]
5
Complex The Best Albums of 2015 (So far)[24]
8
The Best Albums of 2015[25]
6
HipHopDX Top 25 Albums of 2015[26]
*

* denotes an unordered list

Commercial performance

Dark Sky Paradise debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 173,000 equivalent album units and first-week sales of 139,000 copies in the United States, Big Sean's biggest sales week yet. It was Big Sean's first number one album on the chart.[27] The album spent a further two weeks in the chart's top ten. On February 1, 2016, Dark Sky Paradise was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[28] As of February 2016, the album has sold over 350,000 copies in the United States.[1]

Track listing

Dark Sky Paradise — Standard edition[29]
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Dark Sky (Skyscrapers)"  
Rob Got Beats 2:58
2. "Blessings" (featuring Drake)
4:12
3. "All Your Fault" (featuring Kanye West)
3:44
4. "I Don't Fuck with You" (featuring E-40)
4:44
5. "Play No Games" (featuring Chris Brown and Ty Dolla Sign)
  • Key Wane
  • Jay John Henry
 3:36
6. "Paradise (Extended)"  
Mike Will Made It 3:35
7. "Win Some, Lose Some"  
5:04
8. "Stay Down"  
4:10
9. "I Know" (featuring Jhené Aiko)
  • Anderson
  • McFarlane
  • Weir II
  • Chilombo
  • DJ Mustard
  • Key Wane
 5:19
10. "Deep" (featuring Lil Wayne)
  • DJ Mustard
  • Key Wane
 4:35
11. "One Man Can Change the World" (featuring Kanye West and John Legend)
Johnson 4:14
12. "Outro"  
DJ Dahi 3:45
Total length:
 49:57
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer.
  • "All Your Fault" features additional vocals from Travis Scott.
  • "Win Some, Lose Some" features additional vocals from Jhené Aiko.
  • "Stay Down" features additional vocals from Kanye West.
  • "I Know" features background vocals from Nicole Lequerica, Key Wane and DJ Dahi.
  • "Deep" features background vocals from Nicole Lequerica and Key Wane.
  • "One Man Can Change the World" features additional vocals from Natasha Bedingfield.
Sample credits
  • "All Your Fault" contains samples from "How Much I Feel" performed by Ambrosia.
  • "I Don't Fuck with You" contains elements from "Say You Love Me, One More Time" performed by DJ Rogers.
  • "Play No Games" contains samples from "Piece of My Love" performed by Guy.
  • "One Man Can Change the World" contains an interpolation from "Sanctified" performed by Rick Ross featuring Kanye West and Big Sean.
  • "Outro" contains elements from "Didn't I" performed by Darondo and an interpolation from "Find a Way" performed by A Tribe Called Quest.
  • "Platinum and Wood" contains samples from "Come Roll" performed by Blade Icewood.

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 28
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[31] 5
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[32] 70
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 88
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] 85
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[35] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[36] 29
French Albums (SNEP)[37] 136
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 76
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[39] 23
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[40] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 39
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 41
US Billboard 200[43] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[44] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[45] Platinum 350,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Big Sean – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Big Sean. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Big Sean – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Big Sean. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Big Sean – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Big Sean. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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