: Interestingly, early versions of the song were vastly different. Sean originally planned for it to be a 6-minute track featuring verses rapped from the perspectives of Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden as children to show how different paths can impact the world. He eventually scrapped this in favor of the more personal family tribute. Musical Context & Collaborations
: Filmed in monochrome in Detroit, the video depicts a funeral and a young boy navigating a neighborhood filled with both violence and community, mirroring the "dark sky" and "paradise" themes of the album. Big Sean - One Man Can Change the World --
: The song’s powerful message earned it the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Message in 2015. : Interestingly, early versions of the song were
wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Sky_Paradise">Dark Sky Paradise album? Big Sean's 'One Man Can Change...' - Billboard Musical Context & Collaborations : Filmed in monochrome
: Sean wrote the song to honor his grandmother's trailblazing life. She was one of the first Black female captains in the U.S. Army during World War II, one of the first Black female police officers in Detroit, and a longtime teacher and counselor.