Detroit 2 is Big Sean’s fifth studio album. It is the sequel to Sean’s September 2012 mixtape, Detroit. It follows Sean’s February 2017 album, I Decided., and Double or Nothing, his December 2017 project with Metro Boomin.

On July 24, 2019, Sean dropped the album’s first promotional single, “Overtime,” Two days later, he released “Single Again,” and on August 26, he released “Bezerk.” None of these singles ultimately appeared on the album.

On October 15, Entertainment Weekly published an interview with Sean in which he detailed the album’s creative process, unveiled track names, themes, and lyrics, and revealed some of the artists featured on the album.

On October 29, Angie Martinez conducted an interview with Sean in which he further discussed the album. In this interview, Sean confirmed that the album was not titled Don Life, despite rumors claiming it was. These rumors were started due to the artwork for “Overtime.”

On January 14, 2020, YK Osiris posted an image of himself posing with Sean in which the album’s title and tracklist were partially (and likely accidentally) revealed.

The album’s title was subtly confirmed at the beginning of Big Sean’s “Hot Ones” interview, which was released on March 19, 2020. Sean officially announced the album’s title when he released an album trailer on March 25, his 32nd birthday.

On August 23, Sean unveiled that he had finished recording the album. On the next day, he revealed the LP’s release date and artwork.

Two days later, Sean released the LP’s lead single, “Deep Reverence.” He released the album’s second pre-release single, “Harder Than My Demons,” on August 31.

On September 2, Sean revealed the album’s tracklist via his social media platforms.