Every song has a history in the music industry. In Big Sean’s chart-topper “I Don’t F*ck With You,” that history is tension- and surprise-filled. The song, released in 2014 as part of his Dark Sky Paradise album, was a anthem to everyone who was feeling some kind of way about somebody. What fans didn’t know, however, was that one of the biggest stars in music today, Beyoncé, had a very strong reaction to listening to it — and it wasn’t a pleasant one.
Big Sean performed “I Don’t F*ck With You” for Beyoncé, and what she had to offer in terms of feedback was not what he was expecting. The Queen Bey herself had deemed the song a bit harsh, calling it “disrespectful.” Her suggestion? Why not tone it down a bit by incorporating a woman’s voice, and perhaps by getting Nicki Minaj to feature on the song to balance out the message.
Beyoncé, who has a history of being very finicky about music, was trying to steer the song in a different direction, showing just how much power and control she has when it comes to determining what type of work an artist does. The song, with its raw and in-your-face lyrics, was clearly not what Beyoncé had in mind. Big Sean, however, even after being suggested otherwise, stuck to his guns and chose to work with E-40, and history, as they say, was made.
Although Beyoncé was not in full agreement, it was Jay-Z who gave Big Sean the kind of guidance that can be offered by someone with a lot of experience. Big Sean discussed in The St. Brown Podcast that Jay-Z’s reaction was a lot more positive. According to Jay-Z, the song was a true reflection of what Sean was experiencing — raw and enjoyable — and that it could be misunderstood by people, but it had to be honest with the creative process.
“I’d get text messages from Hov like a day, like, ‘Every day you don’t put that song out, you’re losing,’ Big Sean explained. Having been inspired by Jay-Z’s drive, Big Sean decided to include the song on Dark Sky Paradise. And it was that decision that set the song up for massive success.
“I Don’t F*ck With You” did not come from a lengthy, heated writing session. It began as a freestyle. Working with DJ Mustard, Big Sean just played around with the beat and let the flow take him. Big Sean considered cutting the song from the album at one time, wondering if it was too “dumb” to be included. With a bit of a push from Jay-Z, it was included.
With hindsight, it’s clear that Sean’s doubts about the song were unwarranted. What started as a casual studio session proved to be one of his biggest successes to date.
“I Don’t Fck With You” was a fan favorite and shot to chart-topper in a matter of moments. It garnered a string of high-level awards and nominations, from Best Rap Song at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards to Best Collabo, Duo or Group and Track of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards and Best Hip-Hop Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The unapologetic and catchy hook made it a hip-hop anthem and a club banger to this day. “I Don’t Fck With You” has a similarly catchy music video with a football-themed story. Big Sean plays a high school quarterback and E-40 plays his motivational coach. The lighthearted and comedic tone of the video was in harmony with that of the song,
