 Sean Paul - Dancehall DJ Sean Paul began scoring hit singles
in Jamaica starting in 1996, and has since attracted American attention with his
appearance on the soundtrack of Hype Williams' Belly (with Mr. Vegas and DMX)
and his 1999 hit "Hot Gal Today." Born Sean Paul Henriques on January 8, 1973,
the multi-ethnic Sean Paul (his parents had Portuguese, Chinese, and Jamaican
blood) grew up comfortably in St. Andrew, Jamaica, his mother a renowned
painter. He was a skilled athlete, excelling in swimming and especially water
polo, playing for the Jamaican national team in the latter.
Although his education was enough to land a prosperous
career, dancehall music remained Sean Paul's first love, particularly crafting
rhythm tracks. He became a DJ after he began writing his own songs, patterning
his style largely after Super Cat and finding a mentor in Don Yute; he also
found contacts in several members of the reggae-pop band Third World in 1993,
which helped open up business connections. Sean Paul released his debut single,
"Baby Girl," with producer Jeremy Harding in 1996; it proved a significant
success, leading to further Jamaican hits like "Nah Get No Bly (One More Try),"
"Deport Them," "Excite Me," "Infiltrate," and "Hackle Mi."
In 1999, Sean Paul started to make inroads to American
audiences; he was first commissioned to collaborate with fellow dancehall
hitmaker Mr. Vegas on a production for rapper DMX; titled "Here Comes the Boom,"
the song was included in director Hype Williams' film Belly. Also that year,
Sean Paul scored a Top Ten hit on the Billboard rap charts with "Hot Gal Today,"
which quickly became his signature tune. Unfortunately, Sean Paul had a very
public falling out with Mr. Vegas over the packaging of the latter's remix of
"Hot Gal Today"; still, it didn't slow Sean Paul's career momentum, as he played
the Summer Jam 2000 in New York City, the center of his American popularity.
That fall, Sean Paul released his first album on VP Records; the sprawling Stage
One collected many of Sean Paul's previous hit singles and compilation cuts,
plus a few brand-new tracks. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
|
