Big Sean Seemingly Addresses Competing With Hip-Hop’s ‘So-Called Bigger Three,’ Drake, J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar

Last December, TMZ approached (read: accosted in a parking lot) Big Sean and asked him several questions about the term “rizz” before sneaking in a more pointed question about “the Kendrick diss,” a reference to Kendrick Lamar’s leaked alternate version of “Element,” an unreleased diss track that found Lamar (allegedly) roasting several of his contemporaries, including Sean.

“Ain’t no diss,” Big Sean told TMZ, ensuring everything was cool between him and K. Dot. And that may very well be true, but Big Sean seemed to allude to Lamar in a new freestyle posted on Wednesday, March 20.

“Look I been in the crib getting over this food poisoning (Norovirus),” Sean captioned his Instagram video. “I figured if Jordan can play in the Finals w/ food poisoning, least I can do is drop some bars! WE LETTING MORE FLY TOMORROW!!!”

Big Sean rapped “over this J Dilla flip Boi-1da, Leon Thomas, and Jahaan Sweet” sent him, as he explained on X (formerly Twitter): “I think where I lack most as an artist is consistency / I just haven’t had the energy to compete with enemies / Or y’all so-called Bigger Three.”

Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole are widely considered this generation’s “Big Three” in rap — so much so that Complex did an oral history of their unofficial race dating back to 2010. However, Big Sean has not conceded to any external pressure to use them as a measuring stick, especially considering the Detroit rapper hasn’t dropped an album since Detroit 2 in September 2020.

On March 15, Big Sean teased “new music [is] on the way” in the caption of a five-minute mini-documentary entitled “Clarity,” capturing him reflecting on becoming a new father and staying grounded. The video shows behind-the-scenes footage of Sean presumably working on his next album, including footage in the studio with the likes of Cole Bennett, Hit-Boy, Lil Yachty, and Tyler, The Creator.

Shortly after posting his freestyle, Big Sean also wrote on X, “This next run personal, LFG!!!” So, it would appear there is more where that “so-called Bigger Three” bar came from.

Watch Big Sean’s “Clarity” video above.