DETROIT – There are critical moments in life that will either make you or break you. For Detroit native Sean Anderson, known by his rapper name Big Sean, that moment came during his homecoming concert at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night.
It wasn't always this easy for Big Sean.
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At the beginning of his career as a signed artist, Anderson struggled to gain respect and attention from the heavy-hitting freshman class, which at the time - included the likes of J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Wale. Just getting his first album released was a struggle.
His first album in 2011, "Finally Famous," sold only 87,000 copies its first week, and his second album, "Hall of Fame," sold 72,000 in its first week.
His third studio album, "Dark Sky Paradise," sold 139,000 copies its first week, claiming the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. It was a big win for Big Sean. As of September 2015, over 322,000 copies had been sold.
Finishing off his victory lap, Big Sean hosted a huge homecoming concert at Joe Louis Arena last week, which featured guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Dej Loaf, Mike Posner - and most notably, Eminem.
If you ask anyone -- they would probably argue that Eminem is the undisputed king of Detroit music. But -- the power shifted Friday night. Something special happened.
After years of asking why Anderson and Eminem haven't collaborated, Eminem finally co-signed Big Sean in a huge setting. He passed the torch, literally and figuratively.
You could feel the shift. It was a new chapter, writing itself right in front of your eyes. And the best part was that Big Sean knew it, too.
In front of a sold-out crowd at Joe Louis Arena, after performing his hit, "One Man Can Change The World," -- Big Sean broke down. He started crying. Visibly crying. He won. He knew he won.
"Detroit. This is the best day of my life, man," he said. "You know, I'm at a loss for words, but I'm not ready to get off stage because I'm not ready for this to be over."
You can argue about album sales, song downloads, and magazine rankings -- but the truth is, nobody is doing what Big Sean is doing in Detroit. From his charity work (his homecoming show's proceeds all went to the Sean Anderson Foundation), to his constant representing of the city in almost every song, wardrobe and music video, not only is Sean proud to be from Detroit, he's proud to give back to it. As the screen read at the end of his concert, "Detroit is Paradise."
Big Sean was also tapped to perform during halftime of the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Day game against the Eagles. He even gave the post-game speech to the Michigan Wolverines football team on Saturday.
It's hard to believe that after more than five years of Big Sean, he's only getting started. He's only getting better. That's a good thing for music fans, and for the city of Detroit.
The Detroit music crown is in good hands --check that -- in new hands.