Big Sean Artistfacts

March 25, 1988
Hip-hop artist Big Sean was born Sean Michael Leonard Anderson in Santa Monica, California. He was raised by his mother and grandmother in Detroit, Michigan.
Sean caught his big break when he approached Kanye West, who was doing an interview in Detroit, and performed a freestyle for him. West signed him to his GOOD Music label two years later, in 2007.
Sean had a son named Noah with his longtime girlfriend, Jhené Aiko, in 2022. They met in 2012 and started dating in 2016 when they released an album together called Twenty88.
Before taking up with Jhené Aiko, Sean was romantically linked to actress Naya Rivera and singer Ariana Grande. Sean first met Grande at KIIS-FM's 2012 Wango Tango concert.
Sean's debut album, Finally Famous, debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts in 2011.
Through his charity, The Sean Anderson Foundation, Sean delivered 1,000 turkeys, along with a variety of canned vegetables, in his native Detroit just before Thanksgiving in 2014. He also gave a speech at the local River Rouge High School about the importance of giving.
Big Sean became the first rapper to rap at the White House when he performed his duet with Ariana Grande, "Right There," during the 2014 White House Easter Egg Roll.
Big Sean doesn't jot down his lyrics in a notebook. He told Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 show that instead everything just "flows through" him as if undergoing a "stream of consciousness" when he's in the studio.

The rapper added: "I have a reference mic in the studio, meaning I have a mic in the booth, and I kind of have a karaoke-looking mic that's outside the booth that can catch all of my references. That's how I come up with most of my music."
Big Sean received the key to the city of Detroit on April 1, 2017 in honor of his "inspiring Detroit youth" through his philanthropic work. The 29-year-old Detroit native became the youngest person to be awarded with the city's key.
His first book, Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace, was published on January 21, 2025. It serves as an interactive guidebook aimed at helping readers maintain daily mental wellness.
Big Sean's grandmother, Mildred V. Leonard, was one of the first Black female captains in World War II, serving in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. She was a major inspiration in his life, instilling in him the values of hard work, perseverance, and self-belief. One of his most personal songs, "One Man Can Change the World," was inspired by her impact on his life.

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