Big Sean told Elliott Wilson that his family inspired him during his recording process for Dark Sky Paradise.

“It’s just really cool to have the people you love, the family, be a part of it,” Big Sean says during a CRWN interview at SXSW published today (March 23). “And I had my brother in the studio with me, my dad, my aunties, my little cousin, my nieces. I was recording the verse for ‘Deep’ with my little niece in the room and my couple little nephews and that made me even want to go harder it made me more hungry. I went a couple of times with them being there. When I look at her face, and my nephews, they just make we wanna do the very best.”

The Detroit rapper says that after the passing of his grandmother he has taken more responsibility within his family.

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“That line on ‘Blessings’ when I say, ‘My grandma just died I’m the man of the house,’” Big Sean says. “You might say it don’t make sense, but it makes total sense because where I’m from grandma’s and mom’s and women are the man of the house, too. In my household, my grandma was the backbone. She was the financial support system. She was the reason I went to private school and didn’t get caught up in the streets like that…People count on me man. I’m not trying to let them down. I know I have the talent to push rap further.”

Big Sean says his latest project is also his best.

“This is my best work for sure,” Big Sean Sean says, “I put my best foot forward. I recorded the whole thing in my house. They were just down with the vision. I would have Kanye at my crib, everybody, Jhene Aiko, Ariana Grande,… They all respected the vision. The producers KeY Wane, Mike Will really brought they A-game to it.”

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He says the key to his success was not allowing his vision to be swayed.

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t get thrown off by anyone’s opinions” Big Sean says. “If they weren’t down with the vision then I didn’t have them around. It was people like No I.D. like Kanye they just saw it with me. It’s really cool when people don’t try to sway you they just add to it.”

For additional Big Sean coverage, watch the following DX Daily:

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