I Decided.
by Big Sean
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Feb 3, 2017
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Feb 8, 2017
    83
    It’s a supremely listenable album, loaded with comfort-food hip-hop fit for booming club sound systems and earbuds on the subway alike. It’s also Sean’s most cohesive, personal work to date.
  2. HipHopDX
    Feb 8, 2017
    82
    Is it going to be the album of the year? No. But it’s a very high quality, and very enjoyable.
  3. XXL
    Feb 13, 2017
    80
    Big Sean rises to the occasion on I Decided., arguably the best album of his career, and one that secures his spot as one of the top five artists in hip-hop today.
  5. Clash Music
    Feb 14, 2017
    70
    While it's undoubtedly a solid addition to Sean's catalogue, at the end of I Decided. it's the flows and instrumentals that are left with the listener, having upstaged what Sean is actually trying to say.
  6. Exclaim
    Feb 8, 2017
    70
    Big Sean exhibits growth and wisdom on I Decided., and that's definitely worth a listen. This is a solid effort.
  7. AllMusic
    Feb 7, 2017
    70
    While I Decided. may not light up the club like his past efforts, it shines a different, more nurturing light onto deeper parts of his soul.
  8. Consequence
    Feb 8, 2017
    67
    I Decided. is a fresh statement that proves Big Sean is continuing to evolve.
  9. Pretty Much Amazing
    Feb 7, 2017
    67
    On his fourth studio album I Decided, he positions himself as hip-hop’s poster-boy for all of these qualities [hard work, sacrifice, persistence, gratitude], but in rapping about such unassailable ideas, he comes away with uninteresting results.
  10. Pitchfork
    Feb 9, 2017
    63
    hile he become incrementally more skilled over the years, not much else has changed. Throughout I Decided., Sean conflates the passing of time with growth and progress. Nothing on I Decided., however, suggests that he has gained perspective worth sharing or to which he should devote a whole album.
  11. RapReviews.com
    Apr 24, 2017
    60
    His technique has a strong propensity towards predictable stream-of-consciousness rhyming.
  12. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Feb 13, 2017
    60
    Without an adequate treatment or storyboard, [I Decided] feels listless and wanting immediate predicate. It lacks a ready place on the shelf.
  13. Rolling Stone
    Feb 7, 2017
    60
    More often than not, however, he gets swallowed by the larger-than-life brands and presences of those he surrounds himself with, like Eminem who steals Sean's thunder with the quality, agility and fire of his guest verse on "No Favors."
  14. PopMatters
    Feb 21, 2017
    40
    So while tastemakers are spinning his records and partygoers are responding (though it should be noted, that the biggest response, unsurprisingly, came to “Bad and Boujee”), the actual act of getting through Big Sean’s latest album is a tiring one.

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Most Discussed Album of 2017
63
#63 Most Shared Album of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 114
  3. Negative: 6 out of 114
  1. qwerty1010
    Feb 8, 2017
    5
    Very Average. Big Sean doesn't make bad music by any means, but he doesn't make anything special or memorable. This album would have beenVery Average. Big Sean doesn't make bad music by any means, but he doesn't make anything special or memorable. This album would have been better if you replaced Big Sean with Drake.… Full Review »
  2. ebert
    Feb 8, 2017
    8
    While this isn't the groundbreaking album that will put Sean into that superstar tier, led by his peers (Kendrick/Drake), this is undeniablyWhile this isn't the groundbreaking album that will put Sean into that superstar tier, led by his peers (Kendrick/Drake), this is undeniably his best and most cohesive work to date. There are definitely some special moments on this project and adept rapping and storytelling ability is on full display. So while fans may have been expecting Sean to finally have his breakthrough moment, instead we get a very thoughtful and confident sounding body of music that is much welcomed at the start of 2017. This is an exceptional project that highlights Big's continuous progression and brings him one step closer to joining Hip-Hop's elite. Right now he is pretty much knocking on the door and with a second chance at it all, the future has never looked brighter for the always hungry Big Sean. Underdog no more.… Full Review »
  3. JustinHowell
    Mar 22, 2017
    9
    Big Sean is one of the most underrated rappers out right now. He's far too often dismissed as generic, however he has a certain level ofBig Sean is one of the most underrated rappers out right now. He's far too often dismissed as generic, however he has a certain level of emotional intelligence that makes its way into his lyrics that other rappers just don't, and I've always appreciated that. In fact, I've always seen him as one of the most talented rappers out, and was really looking forward to this album... and goddamn, he came through. If I had to use one adjective to describe the album it is 'Masterful'. The way he weaves ideas together to make a broader point is nothing short of mind blowing, and the main purpose of the album is a noble one: to encourage people to live their life in a way so that they do not end up regretting the way that they lived their life when they're older, whatever that entails. This includes striking a balance between working and enjoying yourself, and being open to relationships while also having the self respect to not allow people to mistreat you, both in the platonic and romantic fields of relationships. (These are extremely valuable sentiments coming from a guy, since most of that type of valuable rhetoric in music is made by and directed towards women.) Most of all though, the albums champions appreciating and expanding on your blessings in life, and recognizing that there are movements that are bigger than yourself that you need to be a part of... and what makes this album great is not just the broad idea, but the individual punchlines and verses and songs and individual artistic choices, that when woven together make his ultimate point, (which is to live so that tomorrow you don't regret what you did today), and do so in an incredibly potently and again... masterfully... It's not perfect, though. There's occasionally the cringe worthy punchline, and a couple of weak spots, but for the everything he does right, and the gold that is 97% of the album, I have to say that this, in my opinion, has the potential to go down as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, point blank. It obviously has to age a little before it can officially get that title, but this is a phenomenal album, and unquestionably one of the best of this decade, and for me, the best of the year so far.… Full Review »
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