"No I.D., Kanye, Pharrell [All] Helped Me Transition From Being A Mixtape Artist"

G.O.O.D. Music's Big Sean recently opened up about maturing from his underground days to reaching mainstream success courtesy of mentors like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

According to Sean, he has learned how to think bigger than just making solid mixtapes.

"[My debut album] Finally Famous, the album, was like me graduating," Sean said in an interview. "It took about a year's time to make that project. No I.D., Kanye, Pharrell [all] really helped out. They helped me transition from being a mixtape artist to making a really good album. For mixtapes, you don't gotta worry about making hit records. For an album, it's gotta be more structured." (Amaru Don TV)

Earlier this month, Sean talked about wanting to be a role model for people.

"I want to be a role model, man," he says. "I want to be an example of following your dreams and to keep inspiring people. I'm ready for that responsibility...But I want to be a human role model. Humans make mistakes. Mistakes can be the greatest teacher sometimes -- the power to creatively respond to your situation. That's what I'm learning. I want to learn and teach at the same time." (Billboard)

In addition to being a role model through music, the Detoit-bred emcee recently reflected on receiving the key to his hometown.

"When I got the key to the city when I got back to Detroit, [it was best moment in my career]," Sean explained. "When I [looked at] the expression on my grandma's face -- she wanted me to go to school and I didn't go and to just see her so happy and proud and to see my mom so proud and be able to support them, that was the best...It's tight that I could be a vessel for my city, as a Detroit player and just carry that legacy. I'm just excited to be here. I'll be as exhausted as I've ever been, but you'll never here me complain. I'll tell you I'm tired, but I'll never be like, 'I don't wanna do this'...I'll always do what I can do until I can't do it. Flat out." (Tim Westwood TV)

In June, Sean talked to SOHH about his new Finally Famous debut album representing Detroit.

"H*ll yeah, I represent Detroit in everything I do," Sean told SOHH when asked if he is ready to carry the torch for his city. "That's my city, they show me love. Detroit is a city where you have to earn your love. I earned their love and they show me love back. Everything I do is for my city. Detroit has the most soul in the world and I feel like it's my shot to show it to the whole world and show a different perspective than Eminem shows. But shout-out to Em, shout-out to Kid Rock and Royce Da 5'9, Trick Trick, Slum Village, Street Lord." (SOHH)

After debuting at No. 3 over the summer, Finally Famous has sold roughly 200,000 copies since its June 28th release.