One of the secrets to a good album is having the right collaborations – a secret Big Sean is not oblivious to. From Big Sean’s album Dark Sky Paradise, we could expect collaborations with Kanye West, Drake, DJ Mustard among others. On his single, “Win Some, Lose Some,” he features the beautiful vocally endowed Ms. Jhene Aiko.
Big Sean and Jhene Aiko have worked together before on his last album, Hall of Fame, on a song titled “Beware,” which also features Young Money rapper Lil Wayne. “Beware” went on to become a top 40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, which leaves some pretty big shoes for “Win Some, Lose Some” to fill. But I am confident that “Win Some, Lose some” can hold its own because it is an impressive song.
Big Sean in “Win Some, Lose Some” talks about the challenges of being a star and making it in the industry. Success comes at a price. When you become successful, people expect a lot from you, and the people that knew you before the success came expect a hand out, but you can’t really help everybody. Big Sean talks about how the people will say you made it, but you did it wrong, and how you are a millionaire, but your old friends are still the way they were. It is a lot of pressure being successful as you must accept that you win some and lose some.
“You win some, you lose some / I heard that my whole life / I heard that my whole life / but that doesn’t make it right,” Big Sean and Jhene Aiko sing on the chorus. It is mind-bending how easily these two artists blend their different well-modulated voices on the chorus. Big Sean’s nearly husky rap voice and Jhene’s soft voice give us a rap-marries-R&B kind of sound on the chorus. Not many can do this and absolutely achieve a perfectly good sound at the end. So, we must applaud Big Sean and Jhene Aiko for sustaining a style that was birthed on “Beware.”
Big Sean on “Win Some, Lose Some” continues to deliver his clever punch lines that attract a lot of attention. The best line for me from this song is “Getting dressed up for court, that’s a law suit.” Just how clever are these metaphors and punch lines that rappers use? Big Sean’s word play is, by a considerable margin, one of the most captivatingly put together use of words. “Win Some, Lose Some” is full of these cleverly masterminded lines and catch phrases. Big Sean’s mode of delivery is one of the things about Big Sean that attract such a huge following. He is eloquent, and you properly hear every word of every line. And on a song like this that requires for the audience to listen to the lyrics, the beat couldn’t have been any better. The beat flows with gentle composure, which allows Big Sean’s lyrics to be properly heard without the beat getting in the way.
Big Sean always gives us something to reflect on. The ability to tell real life experiences that impact lessons and inspiration delivered in form of good music, is one of the distinct features about Big Sean’s music. “Win Some, Lose Some” is a song that has all those things we love about his music, and it will surely have you reflecting about the price of success. Jhene Aiko is one of the many great artists that will feature on Big Sean’s third studio album, Dark Sky Paradise. And from her performance on this song, it is evidence enough that Big Sean is putting together a great album. She is one of the leading R&B and Hip Hop female singers, and her touch on a song guarantees quality sound. “Win Some, Lose Some” is nothing short of what these two outstanding artists can deliver.