Big Sean is on trial in the video for “Single Again” featuring Jhené Aiko and Ty Dolla $ign.
The short film, which was inspired by Sean’s relationship with Aiko, is a cautionary tale of what can happen in the court of public opinion when we believe what we see on social media.
Sean is “on trial for cheating allegations” in the Lawrence Lamont-directed clip, which was shot in his hometown of Detroit. The scandal has made headlines and driven a wedge between the video’s co-stars, real-life couple Ryan Destiny and Keith Powers. He thinks Sean is innocent, but she disagrees.
After being torn apart, they decide that they’re better together and settle their differences.
“The video has a lot of important messages, but the main one is for people to ‘wake up and smell the roses’ in a world where we wake up and check our phones instead,” explained Sean.
Lamont added, “The visual highlights a few social issues, including social media’s ability to sway people’s opinions to the point of disharmony, the social pressures faced by Millennial’s and Generation Y and media coverage of the Black man. While bringing these key issues to light, I also wanted to capture Detroit’s beautiful spirit and style.”
“Single Again,” which samples Carl Thomas’ “I Wish,” follows Sean’s “Overtime” freestyle, which also dropped last week.