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  That’s a ‘rap’ with Sean Paul

That’s a ‘rap’ with Sean Paul

Published : Feb 1, 2016, 9:39 pm IST
Updated : Feb 1, 2016, 9:39 pm IST

One of the most popular voices on the club music charts, Sean Paul doesn’t believe in diversifying his tunes for the sake of it.

Sean Paul
 Sean Paul
One of the most popular voices on the club music charts, Sean Paul doesn’t believe in diversifying his tunes for the sake of it. The Jamaican artiste says he will continue to reinvent and belt out the best in foot-thumping dancehall reggae till the time it reverberates through the farthest corners of the world. He will be in Dubai next week to perform at the Pakistan Super League, for which he has put together the anthem.

You’ve been described as a dancehall, reggae, hip-hop rapper. What do you see yourself as

I see myself as a messenger who is helping to bridge the gap, bring recognition to dancehall reggae and introduce newer musical styles to the world of entertainment. My impact is not only my impact; it’s people like Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks who helped me pave the way. The influence that dancehall has had on popular music culture is immense.

All your songs are upbeat and groovy. Is it a reflection of your personality Mostly, my message in music is to party and get with the ladies. I think that music should reflect life. I don’t think you should try to do what everyone else is doing. My message is to have fun before life is over.

Bailando is still topping charts across countries. How did the collaboration with Enrique come about Yes, it’s crazy. We reached out to over 30 countries. It was Latin and dance-oriented music so Enrique felt that I could do justice to it. I’ve done a lot of experimental work for my genre and to still be noticed is an amazing feeling. It was a ‘hit’ placed in my hands. It’s a dream-come-true.

Will we ever see Sean Paul trying his hand at a slow, romantic number I want my album or singles to define what dancehall is. I don’t want people to be confused. I’ll do step-outs with Mya, and Jay-Z, and I’ll be on their R&B rhythms and that’s great. I would love to do rock too but I know what my assets are and that’s what I’m hitting at.

If not a musician, you’d be... A musician always. The thing with Jamaica is that we have a very high output of music for such a small country. We have more recording studios per capita than any other country in the world. Artists around here typically record every week — sometimes two or three times a week or more. We have large sections of Jamaicans and West Indians living in New York, London, Miami; our music travels very easily because we are supported by our own Jamaican and West Indian communities.

You recently left your record label to become an independent artiste. How has that changed things I’ve been trying to blend dancehall music with what’s popular right now. A lot of people have done certain flavours of dancehall, but there’s more things to listen to now. There’s trap music, techno is back, and I wanted to blend stuff with that. For the music to grow it means more pie for the people involved.

What is your dream collaboration I would like to work with anyone in the business who wants to give respect back to the Jamaican vibe. I wanted to work with No Doubt. No Doubt was a big, big thing for me and I missed it. I was upset. I didn’t get to meet them while they were in Jamaica at all. I’ve been a fan of theirs since Don’t Speak.

What is the greatest compliment you've received from a fan One of the songs titled Hold On that I dedicated to Usain Bolt for his Olympics performance actually inspired a fan. He came over to Jamaica, flew a thousand miles just to thank me and tell me how that song changed his life forever. It was quite touching. Hold on to the dream!