Big Sean Opens Up About Mental Health and Healing

Big Sean is speaking candidly about one of the most difficult periods of his life. The rapper revealed that he “hit a wall” emotionally during a time of intense depression following the death of his close friend and collaborator, Nipsey Hussle. He discussed his experience with ABC News broadcaster Linsey Davis on the February 16 episode of All Access.

When Davis asked about opening up on a topic “very taboo in the Black community,” Sean explained:

"I was just sharing what was going on in my life. I didn’t realize that I was being so vulnerable. I wasn’t trying to be a spokesperson for mental health per se. I was just expressing how I was going into therapy and experiencing a time of heavy ups and downs, a time of depression."

Sean described the moment he realized his mental health needed urgent attention:

"It felt like I hit a wall, and I either had to climb over it or it was gonna fall on me and crush me."

He reflected that his constant focus on work had caused him to lose touch "with the person that I was," leading to “a very deep battle of depression, deeper than I experienced when I was like a teenager.”

To care for himself, Sean stepped away from the music industry and focused on recovery. "You got to be serious about having fun, because as fast as time goes, we’re here for a limited amount of time," he said, later adding, "I’m just happy to be here enjoying myself."

Hussle’s death in March 2019, at age 33, had a profound impact. Sean described him not only as a collaborator but as “more like my brother.”

"I definitely learned a lot from him," Sean told PEOPLE in 2020. "One of the things that hurt so bad about seeing Nipsey go, was that we saw a lot of our best qualities in him. We saw how much he cared about his people and his neighborhood, and how pro-Black business he was. He was about making his own way and being a boss."

The following year, Sean released "Deep Reverence," a song they had recorded together before Hussle’s death.

Sean has shared that he experienced periods of wanting to "give up on my life."

"I don’t feel like this currently, but I had never gone through wanting to kill myself, give up on my life until the past few years and I didn’t realize how important it was to embrace the ups n downs of life and enjoy (in joy) taking active steps to better it," he wrote.

"I thought doing what I loved would always make me happy and satisfied, so when I got tired of it, I was confused and it drove me insane," he added.

Sean’s story is a reminder that mental health struggles can affect anyone, regardless of success or status. Hitting that wall was a turning point. One that led him to therapy, self-reflection, and ultimately, a renewed focus on living fully.