Big Sean’s “Mercy” Verse Was Birthed From A Freestyle Session With Kanye @ A Watch The Throne Show

Let’s be honest, we recite Big Sean’s “Mercy” verse with drunk excitement every time it comes on in the club. It’s not the most complex verse known to man, but it’s a great time when we’re rocking to it. During his interview with Complex Magazine, Sean reveals that the verse was birthed during a freestyle session backstage at the Watch The Throne tour with Kanye. Nice. Check out what he had to say about it, below.

Yeah, I was really freestyling with Kanye backstage at the Watch the Throne tour and he was like, “Man, you got to say this on the record.” I was like, “Man, I ain’t about to say that. I just put out ‘A$$.’ I don’t need to be talking about no ‘ass-quake, ass-tate.’” But I just laid it to see how it sounded and then for a while, there were no other verses on “Mercy.”
It was just my verse and we were vibing to it, so it naturally fit on there. I don’t really write any of my raps down. The same, Kanye don’t write any of his raps down. Common. It’s easy that way. For me, personally, I figure I will lose some of the inspiration in the time of me writing it down or I’ll say it a certain way because I wrote it a certain way. When I go in there and do it, it’s easier for me.