The album was supported by two singles:"Pull Up N Wreck" featuring 21 Savage and "So Good" featuring Kash Doll.
The album received a mixed reception from critics,with some praising the chemistry between Big Sean and Metro Boomin,while others felt the project lacked cohesion. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200,but it didn’t achieve the kind of commercial success that some of their previous solo efforts had.
Background
In an interview with Billboard published on December 1,2017,Big Sean announced the collaborative album.[3][4] The two previously worked on Sean's previous studio album,I Decided (2017),on the single "Bounce Back" and album tracks "Sacrifices" and "Voices in My Head / Stick to the Plan". The album art and release date was announced on December 6,2017,[5][6] while the track listing was announced via social media the following day,the day before release.[7]
The intro song,"Go Legend" featuring Travis Scott,was previewed by Sean at Lollapalooza 2017 in Chicago. The song originally was thought to have Offset as an additional feature but did not make the studio version of the song.
Songs from the album were previewed by American athlete LeBron James via Instagram the day before release.[8]
Singles
The lead single,"Pull Up N Wreck" featuring 21 Savage,was released on November 3,2017,for streaming and digital download.[9] "So Good" featuring Kash Doll was sent to rhythmic radio on February 13,2018,as the album's second single.[1]
Double or Nothing received mixed reviews from critics upon release,with a general criticism of the collaborative pairing. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album received an average score of 54,based on 4 reviews.[10] Claire Lobenfeld of Pitchfork criticised the album's lyricism,stating that "Though fun and at times politically salient,even Metro Boomin cannot rescue Big Sean from his habit of writing the absolute corniest lyrics imaginable."[14] Chase McMullen of The 405 commented that "There's no denying Big Sean has had more staying power in hip hop than some might have expected,but for Metro Boomin,who's largely been wise in choosing fresh faces on equal creative footing for his full length projects,Double or Nothing is a dull misstep."[16] In another mixed review,Trent Clark of HipHopDX concluded:"While the essential purpose of the album is never specified,Sean spends a ridiculous amount of time skeeting on tracks with no filter on the filler."[12]
Online music publication Sputnikmusic stated Double or Nothing is "ostensibly 10 bangers processed through Metro’s lean,gothic synths and Sean’s plain-spoken statements of wealth and general overconfidence. It’s boring stuff."[15]
Joshua Robinson from hnhh stated than the album "demonstrated the next step in Big Sean’s growth“and singled songs like “Who’s Stopping Me“and the off-kilter “Even The Odds“and concludes with the statement:“Love it or hate it,Double or Nothing had plenty of highlights.“[17]
Legacy
In retrospect,Big Sean described Double or Nothing as a “straight fun“,experimental project where he stepped out of his usual creative process. Metro encouraged him to freestyle without overthinking,leading to quick,instinctive recordings. "He wanted me to record like how Future records... whatever comes to your first mind,get on the mic,say that shit,and we’re moving on." Although some fans loved the album and others didn’t,Sean expressed that he “loved“it,viewing it as part of his creative evolution,especially after experiencing burnout in 2017. In a March 2025 interview on the St. Brown Podcast,he explained,"Art is subjective... Anything could always be better. I was just vibing out." He also mentioned that releasing Double or Nothing just months after I Decided (which hit No. 1) allowed him to "maximize [his] creativity".[18][19][20][21]
In interviews,Metro Boomin reflects on the reception of Double or Nothing in and shares his perspective on the criticism the album received. In a conversation with GQ,Metro acknowledges having been affected by the negative response:"I still do like the album," he says,but emphasizes that much of the backlash was rooted in online criticism directed at Big Sean. He defends the rapper,stating,"A lot of those songs,or a lot of the sh*t that he said —if another huge rapper or rappers similar to him said it,they would just let it slide." Speaking on the ProducerGrind podcast,Metro expands on this point,explaining that the album differed sonically from what fans expected —not only based on his collaborations with Future but also on previous tracks with Big Sean such as Bounce Back,Research and Sacrifices. "I feel like they just wanted that —they wanted me to give Big Sean just a whole bunch of street beats." Instead,the project surprised listeners:"It wasn’t what n****s thought it was going to be. So I feel like they were just like,‘WTF??’"
Despite the criticism,Metro remains proud of the work:"That album still hard as f*** to me. I know it’s hard." He believes the project would be more appreciated if released today:"I feel like if we held that album and dropped it right now,ns be like,‘Ooh! That sht is hard as f.’" He continues to defend the collaboration,highlighting that it featured "a lot of hard,solid songs" and a cohesive artistic vision.[22][23]
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