Big Sean

Big Sean

As underwhelmed as we were with Big Sean and Kanye’s leaked track “Marvin Gaye and Chardonnay” yesterday, that’s how refreshed and pleasantly surprised we are with “Woopty Doo” today. Not officially a Big Sean jam—it’s Kanye’s other protege, the G.O.O.D.-signed mixtape grinder CyHi da Prynce who gets the lead credit on this one—it nonetheless also features Big Sean in a guest appearance and ‘Yeezy behind the decks with co-producer No I.D., making it feel like a makeup for yesterday’s disappointment. And as overblown, disjointed and obnoxious as “Chardonnay” was, that’s how chilled, smooth and breezy “Woopty Doo” is.
The real heroes here would have to be No I.D. and Kanye. From the first bleated notes of that sax riff, on top of that laid-back, tambourine-heavy beat, you know that the song’s daunting-seeming six-minute runtime is gonna feel like nothing at all. The riff is so light and quintessentially jazzy that it’s eerily reminiscent of old-school Pete Rock—something longtime fan (and recent collaborator) Kanye would undoubtedly take as a huge compliment, and deservedly so. With that loopy sax running underneath, the song could go for 15 minutes and would still feel like sipping on a mojito on a cool summer day.
CyHi and Sean don’t have to do much to sell the song’s beat, but their tales espousing the importance of prioritizing family and friends over wealth and hangers-on hit most of the right notes—especially on the chorus, where various shallow accomplishments (“You hit the club and made it rain / You spent like 50 on the chain”) are met with the titular reaction of fake excitement. Big Sean is particularly nice on his verse, admiring his hard-earned riches but pausing to ask himself “Who your real friends and friends by technicality? / They ask how yo momma is or ask for a salary?” Indeed, the hard questions one must take the time to ask when one is Finally Famous—good to see you’re ahead of the curve, Sean.