“One Man Can Change the World” – Big Sean (ft. Kanye West and John Legend)

The song I have chosen this week is “One Man Can Change the World” by Big Sean featuring Kanye West and John Legend. The song appeared on Big Sean’s third studio album, Dark Sky Paradise. The song is dedicated to Big Sean’s grandmother who passed away and was of his biggest inspirations. Throughout the song he uses her words to empower his listeners as she did for him.

The song begins with the hook that is composed of words Big Sean’s grandmother had said to him. These words are what pushed Big Sean to work so hard to achieve his goals in life. His grandmother would tell him all her hopes for him in life including surviving on his own, meeting the girl of his dreams, and attaining economic stability. She always would remind Sean that “one man can change the world.” When Sean repeats these words it sounds to the listener that Sean is talking to them, which is powerful to hear. These words are especially important because they are uplifting words that most of Big Sean’s listener probably do not hear.

Big Sean starts his first verse talking about how all he wanted when he was a kid was to have lot of money and have a beautiful wife to share it with. He talks about how he would stare up at the ceiling at night trying to figure out how he will accomplish his goals in life because he felt as though they were unachievable for someone from his economic class. He says that his step-brother used to sell coke outside his house so he was exposed to drug dealing at a very young age. This is very relatable to his audience because some people have very little degree of separation between them and the drug world much like Sean.

Sean then moves to talk about the difficulties he faces when gaining the money that he does. He fears that he will get caught up in the fame much like other rappers who have gained popularity but then lost all their money. He also talks about how it is up to the listener to create goals for themselves much like he did. He says that he realized that there was not much different between him and the people he looked up to. He says this because he wants to inspire his listeners not to think that their dreams are unattainable.

In his second verse he begins with a quote from his grandmother that inspired him to leave a legacy: “If you write your name in stone, you’ll never get the white out.” He talks about how this pushed him to go from the streets of Detroit to performing at the White House. He talks about the struggles growing up in the conditions he did but then says that in comparison to his grandmother he had it light. His grandmother was one of the first African American women to serve as captain during WWII which Sean commends her for. In addition to her time in the military, she also raised her children and grandchildren which is one of the hardest jobs there is. He ends the verse by saying that he hopes that when they are reunited in heaven and appreciates that she always looks out for him like a guardian angel.

One thought on ““One Man Can Change the World” – Big Sean (ft. Kanye West and John Legend)

  1. I really enjoyed reading your blog!
    Although I am not a big fan of rap music, I love inspirational quotes and songs so I will definitely have to listen to this one!
    I think that it’s really cool how his grandmother was such a strong force in his life and how she was involved in World War II as a captain. It is always nice to have such a hero to look up to and she must have certainly been a great role model.
    I like how you are able to take the message of different songs and dissect them to see what they really mean. The song artist puts a lot of work into the songs, so it is nice that you are able to proclaim the message of the songs even farther.
    It is really inspiring how he was able to rise out of his situation and achieve his goals. I also like how humble he is as he is trying to not get caught up in the rush of the music business. I thing that is really respectable about him.
    I think that your blog was really interesting and will definitely look into more of them!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *