Big Sean “takes the gloves off” about Naya Rivera: “First of all, why would I have to steal a Rolex?”

After what some consider mediocre sales of both his debut and sophomore albums, Big Sean, now managed by Jay Z’s Roc Nation, is stepping back into the musical ring with the release of his 3rd studio album. Dark Sky Paradise, an oxymoron of a title that suggests he’s found the silver lining in a cloud, is set for release on February 24th. In an up close and personal interview with Complex, Sean heads back home to Detroit to show his city some love while promoting his latest project. He gives Complex the inside scoop on his relationship with Ariana Grande, the Rolex he allegedly stole from Naya Rivera, and the inspiration for his latest single ‘IDFWU.’ Check out a few excerpts:

On what he did inside Detroit radio station to entice Kanye to sign him to G.O.O.D. Music:

Big Sean: This was where I rapped for Kanye. I lied and said I left my phone in the back office. At first I felt like he was half listening. He just was like all ears. After rapping for like 10 minutes everybody started clapping, it was a whole crowd around, everybody that worked at the station.

On how school helped him with his rap career:

Big Sean: We had to deliver a morning poem every day and a goodbye poem at the end of the day. It taught me to be open-minded and creative.

On how the diversity at Detroit Waldorf School gave him the ability to mesh with people from different backgrounds:

Big Sean: It was good to see both aspects. I take pride in being able to hop on a song with Eminem and Kanye, or Jay Z, and then being able to hop on a Fall Out Boy song.

On Kendrick Lamar’s infamous diss verse on “Control”:

Big Sean: Looking back on it, it was a different vibe than my album. There’s a lot of negativity on that song, and I don’t fuck with negative shit. People love drama, people love bullshit. I knew when Kendrick did that name-dropping that it was just gonna set it off, and I could see why people gravitated towards that verse for that reason. I respected him for thinking of that. I never wanna shade anybody. I would’ve been a ho-ass nigga if I cut that out of his verse, or if I didn’t put the song out.

On ex-fiance Naya Rivera’s tweet claiming he stole her Rolex:

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