Guap

Album: Hall of Fame: Memoirs of a Detroit Player (2012)
Charted: 71
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The first single from Big Sean's sophomore album, Hall of Fame: Memoirs of a Detroit Player, finds Sean splashing his cash out left, right and center. "I'ma throw money in the air like I'm tryna pay the sky," he raps. Sean admitted to Hiphop-N-More that the cut goes in a different direction than his fans may be used to. "It ain't no turn-up song," he said. I wanted to do something a little bit different. I wanted to do some s--t that I really was inspired by, something that strikes an emotional chord in people. I'm not going by the label's standards. I'm not going by the club standards. It's just what the f--- I wanna do."
  • Key Wane and Young Chop produced the tropical track. Key Wane, whose other credits include co-producing Meek Mill's "Amen," is the primary beatsmith on Hall of Fame: Memoirs of a Detroit Player. Sean has known the knob twiddler since they both attended Cass Technical High School together in Detroit. "I'm helping to put him on as much as I can," the rapper told The Boombox. "He's definitely gonna be one of the greatest producers coming up for sure and he will be one of the greatest of all time."
  • According to our dictionary, 'Guap' is an urban term for a considerable amount of disposable money. It originated on the streets of Harlem, New York to indicate the large, handsome sums acquired through the sale of illicit drugs. The word comes from the Spanish "Guapo" meaning handsome or pretty.
  • Sean told MTV News: "It's just a fun song and it's crazy because I originally didn't want that to be the very first single, but when it came down to it, it just seemed like the perfect time. Sometimes life be so goddamn serious, you just need them songs to get away from it, turn up to and just feel good to."

    "I feel like 'Guap' is inspirational in the sense that it's for anybody who's ever had to clock in, for anybody who got that check," he added. "I used to be a telemarketer, I used to have to get that $140 check every week and I' d be happy as hell. So it's just that feeling, it's that moment, and if you listen to the verses, everything in there is just too real."
  • The song's music video was shot in Sean's home city of Detroit on November 18, 2012. It was filmed close to a couple landmarks that meant a lot to the rapper, including club Bleu, where he performed early in his career, as well as his high school. The Motor City spitter had to shut down Woodward Ave. and most of downtown for the clip.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.