The song Big Sean regrets making: “I don’t feel comfortable talking about it”
Musicians will always write about their life experiences, both good and bad. However, it’s impossible to know whether a breakup song will come back to haunt them. This was the case for Big Sean and his hit single ‘I Don’t Fuck with U’ (also known as ‘IDFWU’), which was released in 2014.
The Detroit rapper started dating actress Naya Rivera in 2013, getting engaged that year before ending their relationship in 2014. The Glee star then married Ryan Dorsey on July 19th of that year, the original date for her and Sean’s wedding.
‘I Don’t Fuck with U’ was released that September and speculated to be about Rivera. He raps in the Dark Sky Paradise song, “I don’t fuck with you/ You lil’ stupid-ass bitch, I ain’t fuckin’ with you/ You lil’, you lil’ dumb-ass bitch, I ain’t fuckin’ with you/ I got a million trillion things I’d rather fuckin’ do/ Than to be fuckin’ with you, lil’ stupid ass.”
The track is nine times platinum and one of Sean’s most popular records, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. These days, the song is a touchy subject. Rivera died in July 2020 after drowning at Lake Piru near Santa Clarita, California, while on a boat with her four-year-old son, who she saved.
When asked if the song was about Rivera, he told Vulture, “That’s a tough question to answer because I’m still processing a lot of that,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable talking about it because I want to respect her. She’s made such an impact on people, and she’s done so many great things in her life and her career that it was hurtful to even have that [song] be associated with her.”
Despite their breakup, Sean revealed that Rivera was a fan of ‘IDFWU‘. He also admitted that he wouldn’t have recorded it had he foreseen the tragic incident.
“It wasn’t a diss to her,” he explained. “I truly made the song and played it for her. She knew about it, and she liked it. We had a breakup that was very public, and we were young and we forgave each other and moved on from that. If I would have known something this tragic would have happened, I would have never made the song.”
Sean paid tribute to Rivera following her death, posting photos on his Instagram alongside a moving caption.
“Rest in peace Naya, God bless your soul! Thank you for blessing us all with your talent and presence,” he wrote. “You are a hero! Not just because of how you saved your son, also because of the barriers you knocked down for so many people to make them feel confident in themselves and to stand tall and be proud when they couldn’t achieve that on their own.”
He continued, “I appreciate and cherish everything that ever happened between us for making me wiser and a better person. I’m still grieving and in shock, I can’t believe this is real. I’m praying for you and your family and I know your watching over them and protecting them. Rest In peace Naya.”