Big Sean And His Mom Talk New Mental Health Series, Being Open About His Depression And Anxiety: “I Was Tired Of Not Keeping It Real” Essence 4/30/2021 When rapper "I was just being honest," he tells ESSENCE. "I was just keeping it real because I was tired of not keeping it real. I was tired of pretending I was a machine and everything was cool and being politically correct or whatever. I just was like, I'm a just say how I feel." His revelation, as a major star in hip-hop, was a brave one, though. It helped spark conversations about how people cope when it comes to their mental health, particularly Black men. Now he's taking things a step further in the hopes of helping everyone better deal with mental illness, and he's doing so with help from his mom, educator Myra Anderson.