assignment one draft two

10
Relevant Background Information: Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American hip hop recording artist from Detroit, Michigan. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2007, Def Jam Recordings in 2008 and Roc Nation in 2014. After releasing a number of mixtapes, Sean released his debut album, Finally Famous, in 2011. He released his second studio album, Hall of Fame, on August 27, 2013. Sean's third studio album Dark Sky Paradise was released in 2015 and which earned him his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Summary: The figured world I am observing is Big Sean’s music career from the beginning of his fame until now. The figured world that I chose is a type of business. He creates music for his fans and gets paid from it when they buy CDs, or download it from online music stores such as iTunes. The various activities that take place are studio sessions where all of the recording takes place, concerts where fans come out to listen to him perform his music live, and world tours that also take place so that fans across the globe get the same chance to see him as we do in the U.S. It is appropriate for Big Sean to take photographs with his fans after concerts. It is also appropriate for him to give out autographs for his fans that ask for one. You should expect to see him on stage performing in front of large crowds and maybe even getting a little nervous before a big show. Some forms of communication that we can expect to see from him are verbal, interviews, and over the phone. He may text, tweet or update a status on Facebook. He uploads pictures on his Instagram account mainly of his life, but occasionally includes a picture of him and a fan. He also communicates with a few select people through his music. His famous song “I Don’t

Upload: brandon-burgess

Post on 01-Feb-2016

51 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Assignment One Draft Two

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Assignment One Draft Two

Domain: A domain is the subject that a group of people are all interested in. They commit to that interest which in turn means they commit to that domain. Someone on the outside could be interested in the subject but that doesn’t automatically mean that they are committed to the domain. Even though someone is interested in the same thing, if they do not take to the time and effort to work together with people of the same interest and learn from them and possibly teach them something new they cannot be a part of the community.

Sean’s family, friends, and producers share the same domain because they all want him to be bigger and better than what he is. They work hard along with him to get his music just right, promote it, and make sure that it sells. They are not doing it for themselves but actually for Sean

Relevant Background Information:

Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American hip hop recording artist from Detroit, Michigan. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2007, Def Jam Recordings in 2008 and Roc Nation in 2014. After releasing a number of mixtapes, Sean released his debut album, Finally Famous, in 2011. He released his second studio album, Hall of Fame, on August 27, 2013. Sean's third studio album Dark Sky Paradise was released in 2015 and which earned him his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Summary:

The figured world I am observing is Big Sean’s music career from the beginning of his fame until now. The figured world that I chose is a type of business. He creates music for his fans and gets paid from it when they buy CDs, or download it from online music stores such as iTunes. The various activities that take place are studio sessions where all of the recording takes place, concerts where fans come out to listen to him perform his music live, and world tours that also take place so that fans across the globe get the same chance to see him as we do in the U.S. It is appropriate for Big Sean to take photographs with his fans after concerts. It is also appropriate for him to give out autographs for his fans that ask for one. You should expect to see him on stage performing in front of large crowds and maybe even getting a little nervous before a big show. Some forms of communication that we can expect to see from him are verbal, interviews, and over the phone. He may text, tweet or update a status on Facebook. He uploads pictures on his Instagram account mainly of his life, but occasionally includes a picture of him and a fan. He also communicates with a few select people through his music. His famous song “I Don’t F*** With You” is directed towards an ex of his. A loud volume is not considered a distraction and is to be expected in this career. It would be inappropriate for him to deny a fan a picture or an autograph if they were to ask for one. The community of practice in this figured world would be his team and family that support him fully. His family is there for moral support and his team collaborates with him different ideas on what should be done with his music. They all work together to support him and help him become bigger to reach greater heights of fame. His fans would not be a community of practice. Even though they are all interested in his music, they do not learn from each other or teach anything new about his music or his life. It can be very difficult to get your products out if your family and friends do not help you network.

Page 2: Assignment One Draft Two

because they share the same interest of him becoming Finally Famous. One of Sean’s fans would not be considered to share that domain. They are interested in his music and talent for their entertainment purposes only. His fans do not work with him to produce his music or critique his lyrics. If they do critique his lyrics it is highly unlikely he will ever see/hear the comments that are being made. However, Sean would not be as “Big” as he is today without the support of his adoring fans.

Figured World: A figured world is a formation that varies in size, but is made up of a certain set of rules that describe what behavior is appropriate or normal to be seen in that world.

Communities of Practice: The community is the area that the group not only works together; but also learn from each other. If the people in the group aren’t teaching and learning from each other then it is not considered a community. Employees at my job learn something new each day. There is always someone who doesn’t know how to do something and someone that does will show them. There is both teaching and learning going on, and we all share a common goal or interest; so my workplace is considered a community.

Sean’s community of practice are his recording studios and the stages that he performs on. His life is all about music. While in the studio songs are recorded and played over and over again until they are perfect. He may have 14 different versions of the same song and is getting feedback on all of them from the other people in the community because they all share the same common goal of making good music. He sometimes changes lyrics, or maybe even adds or takes away instruments in the beats that he uses. Additionally, Sean may sometimes decide to drop an entire song from an album and use it later in one of his mixtapes.

Practices of the Community: The practice is the activity that everyone in the group does together. They teach one another and learn from each other, even if they are not together every day. It is what really brings everyone together to feel like they are a part of something bigger than just themselves; a community.

The practice that everyone does together is listening to Sean’s music and telling him what sounds good, bad and what also could be better. They may suggest lyrics to use, or punch lines for a certain song; but at the same time understand that he is the artist so if he does not agree then that is perfectly fine. Still, everyone contributes to the music that he makes in one way or another so this activity of giving feedback and making suggestions brings everyone together in the community.

Artifacts: Artifacts are certain items that have a special meaning within a figured world and the community. It can also be feelings or ideas that have specific meaning within the community.

Page 3: Assignment One Draft Two

Sean’s studios: Sean starts out with a home studio while in high school but by the time he is famous he has moved up to a professional quality studio and has professionals producing his music for him.

Sean’s dry erase board: this board is significant because for each album it tells the order of the songs that will be on the album. When making an album or a project you want to tell a story with each song, but also you want the songs in order to tell a story of their own. This is very important so that the order is not messed up and is perfect.

Actors: Actors in a community have a specific purpose or meaning that contributes to the overall goal. Actors can vary in age, size and gender but no matter the variances they get their job to help out the community which shares the same goals.

Sean’s Mother: She is a very influential woman to Sean because before he was famous she still always supported him and the decisions he made. When he decided to drop out of school to follow his dreams of being an artist she stood behind him. She knew that not every day would you get a call from Kanye West telling you that you’re going to be the next big thing.

Sean’s Father: His father was not always around for his mother but he was always around for Sean. Whenever he needed help with something or advice on a subject, he was there to help. His father gave him advice on his music, money and women. He told him not to make the same mistakes that he made with Sean’s mother. He would put up money along with Sean’s mother to fly him and his friend out to Chicago every week to record in a recording studio they were introduced to by Kanye West.

Note: These observations cover Big Sean’s life before fame, after he was first signed to G.O.O.D. Music, and where he is now in his career. They are given the names of his albums in the order they were made corresponding with when he became famous, reached the “Hall of Fame” and is now in a metaphorical Paradise. Three separate documentaries were watched to conduct these observations. Each documentary was during the time each album was being made.

The Observation:

Finally Famous: Big Sean is seen freestyling at his high school with a group of friends. They hold different rap battles each day after class lets out. He and his friends have a music group that they put together called S.O.S. Every Friday they would go down to the radio station in Detroit, Michigan and perform on air for their city. One Friday, one of the DJs mentioned to him that Kanye West was right down the hall. He also suggested that Sean go say “what’s up” to him. When Sean saw Kanye he asked if he could freestyle for him. Kanye replied that he was in a rush but Big Sean pleaded with him and finally Kanye said “alright, you got 16” meaning 16 bars or lines to rap. Big Sean rapped about 100 bars, which is the equivalent to a 2 to 3 minute song. He was only allowed to keep going after the first 16 because Kanye and his entourage that he was with liked Sean’s lyrics so much they decided to not stop him. Sean thanks Kanye after he tells him how good his lyrics were. Kanye and his manager share a brief look with each other indicating that they both thought the lyrics were good. Knowing that they could not leave such a

Page 4: Assignment One Draft Two

talented person empty-handed, they both invited Sean and his friend to Kanye’s listening party later that night. They told him it was at a secret location but he could come out and have a good time. Sean was super excited as he thanked them while they left the recording studio. A few moments later he realizes that he never got the actual address of the party. He runs around the radio station asking everyone if anyone knew where the party was going to be held. All replied “it’s a secret location; how would we know?” As Sean walks to his car to go home he is stopped by a man he does not recognize. The man asks him “aren’t you the dude that just rapped for Kanye?” Sean replied yes. The man asks him if he is going to the listening party but Sean tells him that he does not have the address of the party. The man pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket which has the address on it and gives it to Sean. Sean considers this man his guardian angel. At the listening party Kanye introduces Big Sean to everyone that came out and lets them all know that Sean had the courage to rap for him today. He tells them that even though he is one of the toughest critics in the game, Sean can really rap. Sean feels excited to have all eyes on him and to be cheered for. For the time, Sean and his friend enjoy the party. Later that night, Kanye sits them down and tells them that they are not really looking for any new artist at the moment. He does, however, want to hook them up with a few producers that he knows and says will help them out more in the game. Sean still takes this as a blessing and thanks Kanye for it. He and his friend return home after the party and discuss the night’s events. A few days later Big Sean received a phone call from a private number. When he answered he was surprised to find out that Kanye West was on the other line. Kanye told him that they were ready to do something serious with him and wanted to sign him and get a deal going. Sean talked about it with his mother and she told him not every day do you have someone like Kanye West call you personally to tell you that you are going to be the next big thing. After that conversation with his mother, Sean did not go to school the next day. He gave up on the scholarships for college that he was trying to attain. Finally he was introduced to the team that is known as G.O.O.D. Music. In October, Big Sean was signed to G.O.O.D. Music. He knew from then on, he was Finally Famous.

Hall of Fame: Sean is starting his new album Hall of Fame but is having some trouble. He knows that he wants to take it entirely to another plateau, or another level. He currently has 269 days until the projected release date for the album. He states “a lot of ideas start as mumbles… literally mumbles”. Sean is freestyling in his studio with his producer and getting feedback while working on the new songs for his album. He is recording over and over again to get everything perfect. He is now at a point where he has 310 days until the release date. It has been pushed back because he is a perfectionist. He has his close friends, girlfriend, and producers in the studio to get their feedback. He believes that he needs some time outside of his studio and decides to go to his home studio for a bit so he can relax at home. He has 298 days left to finish the album. Sean finds out that his mom has breast cancer and is going through a lot at home and decides to make a song talking about it for his album. The song is to tell her that everything will be alright. His mom is crying and describing how it started in her breast and spread to her spine and might make her blind. It is as if her entire world is ablaze. Big Sean uses inspiration from his mother’s struggle to help him make this album. I can only imagine what he's going through as an artist right now but he stays strong and uses this situation in a good way to benefit his album while

Page 5: Assignment One Draft Two

also making her feel better. In his studio, Sean has a huge dry erase board with giant letters at the top that read “**DO NOT ERASE**”. This board contains his track list, which is the order that the songs will go in on the album. He taps on the board as he thinks about the order they will be in. 396 days until HoF (Hall of Fame). J. Cole and Big Sean are in the studio talking about one of Sean’s songs that J. Cole had cried over. Sean adds some lights to his studio to get himself into a better mood when recording so that he can be more focused. Sean’s producer tells him that Common is next door, so Sean decides to invite him over to get feedback from him since he looks up to Common. Sean is getting frustrated and decides to give himself a break. He takes a trip to Paris to clear his mind and “see things” as he says will allow you to be more creative. Another break is soon taken so that he can do interviews and photoshoots for magazine covers. Sean is seen play fighting his dad after one of his concerts. His father has been a big inspiration in his life and has offered him many tips on the subjects of money, friends, and women. The album now has 446 days until its release date. Sean remembers a small necklace he had as a little kid and how much it meant to him. He ends up making a song called “First Chain” so that people can relate to something special that they had before. Sean realizes towards the end of the album that there are not many people from Detroit that have a platform to be heard. He feels that he has a responsibility to deliver information that needs attention. With all the help that Sean gets from his friends, family, and producer, the album finally drops and it’s a hit. He calls the album Hall of Fame because he wants to be remembered and set in stone. Hall of Fame is not just a place, but also a state of mind.

Dark Sky Paradise: Sean walks into a building where a few workers are building his new studio. This is signifying that he is moving up in his career; moving to a bigger and better studio to produce his music. He thinks that this is going to be the perfect room to work in. Sean has new producers and is in his studio freestyling to begin his new album Dark Sky Paradise. He is doing more mumbling than actually producing words and does not really know what to rap about. Sean is once again seen putting together the track list for the order of the new songs on his new album. Jhene Aiko is a big influence for Sean and she tells him that some of his lyrics in a song are lame and convinces him to make them better, which he does for her. Sean starts to write an extended version for his song “Paradise”. He is in the studio just yelling off ideas with friends. Finally it all comes together for the extended version of the song and everyone loves it. DJ Khaled is speaking to Sean about the quality of his music and says that he likes them all. Sean then plays a song for his mother to hear and she says that it is phenomenal. The song is “One Man Can Change the World” and it is about his father and his life when he was younger. Sean’s father has not always been in his mother’s life but has always remained a part of Sean’s life. Sean is happy with the album after all of the recording he went through and is thankful for the support of his friends.

Note: I conducted an interview with a friend of mine who I have been producing music with for six years now. He is the reason I became interested in Big Sean because this is also his favorite artist. We both have dreams of being great artists and look up to Sean because his story is phenomenal.

Page 6: Assignment One Draft Two

The Interview:

1. Describe how you became interested in producing music?

It all started when I was five, and I took piano lessons. I’ve been in love with music ever since. When I hit the 3rd grade I tried out for chorus. I was the youngest boy in there to make it after tryouts. All of my friends made fun of me but I did not care. The following year I joined the band. It was an extensive work load juggling the band and the chorus; but I made it work. When I switched schools in the middle of the 7th grade. In the middle of the 7th grade I continued with my musical escapades. By the time I got to high school I was writing lyrics in my composition notebook. By Junior year I was freestyling on the bus with all of my associates and I met a nice young fellow whose name was Brandon Burgess. When I met up with him it has been music ever since. Staying up all night, making instrumentals, and the continuation of writing lyrics in my composition notebook. By the end of my senior year I had a legitimate home studio. From high school until now I have grown as a musical entrepreneur.

2. Tell me what stands out to you about Big Sean that doesn't with other artists.

Big Sean has his own style and lingo that he portrays with his music artistry. His image is like no one others. “Boii”, “Do it”, “Finally Famous” and “Lil’ B****” are a few examples of his lingo. His favorite clothing styles are 10 Deep, Billionaire Boys Club, and Bape.

3. Tell me what you like about the story of Big Sean becoming Finally Famous!

The ambition! It teaches people that if you work hard enough you can make any of your wildest dreams and fantasies come true. It tells you that no matter how many times people try to put you down you always stand tall, trust in what you believe in, and have faith in your abilities. So don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. Unless it’s your mom!

4. How has Big Sean impacted your look on your own music?

In comparison, an opinion based assumption, Big Sean would be considered a better artist than me; and not because of his strong lyricism but because he is Finally Famous! But, he has helped me grow into a better artist by listening to strong metaphors and punch lines and onomatopoeias.

5. Give me one song of Big Sean's that is important to you and why?

“Once Bitten, Twice Shy” because the lyrics really speak to me. If you listen to the song he says “I know we made mistakes before” and I can relate to that, and I know a lot of other people can relate to that as well. Because I mean, come one, we all make mistakes. We all go through the best of times and the worst of times, and there is no turning back. So we just have to face reality and let those mistakes teach you instead of break you; because in this world we rarely get second chances. But we can’t let those mistakes lay dormant in our minds and manifest. Let bygones be bygones, and live and let go.