Though Detroit rappers have not always seen eye to eye, Big Sean managed to unite his city on the epic “Friday Night Cypher.”
It’s hard to believe Big Sean was able to collectively unite Eminem, Royce Da 5’9, Sada Baby, Kash Doll, Tee Grizzley, 42 Dugg, Boldy James, Drego, Payroll, and Cash Kidd on the same track. Lo and behold, he did exactly that on “Friday Night Cypher,” a standout cut from his brand new Detroit 2. With the masses already buzzing in its wake, the triumphant posse cut represented a major win for the city of Detroit, a hip-hop scene that has frequently produced talent but never quite received the mainstream recognition it deserved. Now, Sean is hopeful that the ambitious banger will shine a new light on the city he so proudly seeks to represent.
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Following the track’s release, Big Sean opened up about creating “Friday Night Cypher,” breaking down the significance behind uniting all these disparate emcees. “It’s people from my city that’s not on the cypher that I love, that was in the sessions during the cypher,” begins Sean, quietly addressing those inquiring after missing names. “But dawg, the song is ten minutes fuckin long already. I tried to still make it listenable for people, and give people from the D an opportunity, and Eminem an opportunity to be on songs with people who people may not have heard of yet. Different artists from Detroit, for all of us to come together cause my city don’t come together like that.”
“We always finding ways to pick each other apart,” continues Sean. “There’s n***as on this song who have beef. And fuck all that beef shit. It’s people beefing over what? Who we beefing with? Each other? There’s people shooting us in the back and you beefing with your brother, your sister over what? Something petty? If it’s not about your family, or nothing worth dying over, what is it? It’s nothing? Rap beef — that shit don’t mean nothing.”
“I wanted to bring people together cause it was starting to get to the point where we was divided, and I wasn’t fucking with that,” says Sean. “Obviously there have been songs like this before — “Detroit Vs Everybody,” all that — but I try my best to unify the city and do what I can. I got love for every single person from my city trying to do it. I love all of ya’ll…I appreciate my dawg Eminem for at the last second sliding on it when I told him what was going on. I appreciate Tee Grizzley, Kash Doll, Cash Kidd, Drego, Boldy James, Royce, Sada — and I appreciate everybody in the sessions. BandGang Lonnie, Bino, I appreciate Chuck Inglish, I appreciate Danny Brown, Elzhi — me and Elzhi got something too.”
Check out Sean’s reflection on the track, and sound off — did “Friday Night Cypher” leave a lasting impression on you?