What You Expect

What You Expect is a collaborative extended play by American rapper Big Sean and American record producer Hit-Boy. It was released through Big Sean's own label, FF to Def, and Def Jam Recordings on October 29, 2021. The EP features guest appearances from Bryson Tiller, Lil Durk, Babyface Ray, and 42 Dugg. Production was mainly handled by Hit-Boy on every track along with side help from G Dav, Oz, Jesse Blum, Rogét Chahayed, Don Cannon, G. Ry, Bryvn, PittThaKid, and Ace G. It was supported by the release of one single, "What a Life", the closing track, which was released exactly a week prior to the release of the EP.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

What You Expect
EP by Big Sean and Hit-Boy
Released	October 29, 2021
Length	18:54
Label	FF to Def Def Jam
Producer	Hit-Boy Ace G. Carter Lang Don Cannon G Dav G. Ry Jesse Blum Oz Rogét Chahayed
Big Sean chronology
Detroit 2 (2020) What You Expect (2021) Better Me Than You (2024)
Hit-Boy chronology
The Chauncey Hollis Project (2020) What You Expect (2021)
Singles from What You Expect
"What a Life" Released: October 22, 2021

Background and promotion

Big Sean and Hit-Boy have extensively collaborated before the release of the EP. On October 28, 2021, both artists announced the EP, with Sean admitting that he planned to release only one single the same day as the EP was released, but decided to release five songs, which would be part of an EP.^[2] The tracklist was revealed hours later.^[3] The two artists released the closing track, "What a Life", on October 22, 2021, with a music video.^[4]

Track listing

What You Expect track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Chaos"		Hit-Boy	3:00
2.	"Into It"	Greg Davis	Hit-Boy G Dav	3:10
3.	"The One"	Ozan Yildirim Cheryl Gamble Tamara Johnson-George Leanne Lyons Andrea Martin Ivan Matias Allen Gordon	Hit-Boy Oz Jesse Blum[a]	2:26
4.	"Loyal to a Fault" (featuring Bryson Tiller and Lil Durk)	Bryson Tiller Durk Banks Rogét Chahayed Donald Cannon Ryan Martinez Bryan Yepes Martin Pitt Alex Ernewein	Hit-Boy Chahayed[a] Don Cannon[b] G. Ry[b] Bryvn[b] PittThaKid[b] Ace G.[b]	4:03
5.	"Offense" (featuring Babyface Ray and 42 Dugg)	Marcellus Register Dion Hayes Davis Chahayed Jesse Blum	Hit-Boy G Dav Chahayed[a] Blum[a]	3:15
6.	"What a Life"	Martinez Chahayed Carter Lang	Hit-Boy G. Ry Chahayed[a] Lang[a]	2:58
Total length:				18:54

All tracks are written by Sean Anderson and Chauncey Hollis, Jr., with additional contributors noted

Notes

• ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
• ^[b] signifies a co-producer.
• "Into It" features uncredited additional vocals from Nas.
• "The One" contains samples from "You're the One", performed by SWV.

Personnel

Musicians

• Big Sean – vocals (all tracks), songwriting (all tracks)
• Hit-Boy – production (all tracks), songwriting (all tracks)
• G Dav – production (tracks 2, 5), songwriting (tracks 2, 5)
• Jesse Blum – horn (track 1), additional production (tracks 3, 5), songwriting (track 5)
• Oz – production (track 3), songwriting (track 3)
• Coko – songwriting (track 3)
• Tamara Johnson-George – songwriting (track 3)
• Leanne Lyons – songwriting (track 3)
• Andrea Martin – songwriting (track 3)
• Ivan Matias – songwriting (track 3)
• Allen Gordon – songwriting (track 3)
• Bryson Tiller – vocals (track 4), songwriting (track 4)
• Lil Durk – vocals (track 4), songwriting (track 4)
• Rogét Chahayed – additional production (tracks 4–6), songwriting (tracks 4–6), keyboards (tracks 4–6)
• Don Cannon – co-production (track 4), songwriting (track 4)
• G. Ry – co-production (track 4), songwriting (tracks 4, 6), production (track 6)
• Bryvn – co-production (track 4), songwriting (track 4), bass (track 4)
• PittThaKid – co-production (track 4), songwriting (track 4)
• Ace G. – co-production (track 4), songwriting (track 4)
• Babyface Ray – vocals (track 5), songwriting (track 5)
• 42 Dugg – vocals (track 5), songwriting (track 5)
• Carter Lang – additional production (track 6), keyboards (track 6)

Technical

• David Kim – mixer (tracks 1–3, 5, 6), recording engineer (tracks 5, 6)
• Colin Leonard – mastering engineer (tracks 1–6)
• Tom Kahre – recording engineer (tracks 1–4, 6)
• Michael Miller – assistant recording engineer (tracks 1, 4)
• Gregg Rominiecki – mixer (track 4)

Charts

Chart performance for What You Expect

Chart (2021)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[5]	76
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6]	41

References

1. Kellman, Andy (29 October 2021). "What You Expect Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
2. "Big Sean and Hit-Boy Team-Up for New EP 'What You Expect'". Complex. October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
3. "Big Sean and Hit-Boy Reveal 'What You Expect' EP Tracklist". Rap-Up. October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
4. "Big Sean & Hit-Boy Reflect On Success On "What A Life"". HotNewHipHop. October 22, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
5. "Big Sean Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
6. "Big Sean Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.