Sean Paul

''This article is on the reggae singer from Jamaica. For the Atlanta-based rapper, See YoungBloodZ.

Sean Paul Henriques (born January 9, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a very popular Dancehall singer, also called the Dancehall King. He is best known by his stage name, Sean Paul.

Biography

Sean Paul has a multiracial background. He states that "My heritage is mixed up. My mother's mother was born in Coventry, England, but the rest of my grandparents were born in Jamaica. My mother's father is Chinese and my father's father is mixed with Portuguese and other European ethnicities. My father's mother is mixed with black and white." His father is a Sephardic Jew whose ancestors left Portugal. Both his parents are Jamaican natives. His nicknames include "Movin Easy", "City Kitty Controller", "S Peezy", "Di gal dem overall". Sean Paul's voice and style of singing is often compared to Jamaican 1990s dancehall sensation Super Cat.

He played for the Jamaican national water polo team and alleges to be related to King Solomon through his father. Sean Paul is a die hard Arsenal fan.

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 9, 1973, Paul grew up 'comfortably' in Upper 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 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, Paul scored a Top Ten hit on the ~Billboard rap charts with "Hot Gal Today," which quickly became his signature tune. Unfortunately, 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 Paul's career momentum, as he played the Summer Jam 2000 in New York City, the center of his American popularity. That fall, Paul released his first album on VP Records; the sprawling Stage One collected many of Paul's previous hit singles and compilation cuts, plus a few brand-new tracks.

Henriques's whole family were swimmers. His father's father was on the first Jamaican water polo team. When Henriques was 3, his father would throw him in the water at summer camp and would say to the other children "not bad for a little dude". Henriques himself joined the Jamaican Water Polo Team. In 1997, Henriques and Spanner Banner recorded the Jamaican chart-topper, "Ladies Man", through the singer's Sweet Angel Productions. The song resulted in his embarking on sessions with Jeremy Harding, a then little-known producer who burst on the scene with his production of Beenie Man's crossover hit, "Who Am I". The producer released the dancehall favorite "Baby Girl". The following single, "Infiltrate", joined the singer's combination hit in the Jamaican top charts.

In 2000 Henriques released his first album, Stage One. Two years later he announced the release of his second effort, Dutty Rock. Pushed by the success of the CD's first and second singles "Gimme the Light" and the Billboard Hot 100 topper "Get Busy", the album became a worldwide smash, eventually selling over six million copies. Simultaneously Paul was heard on Beyoncé's single "Baby Boy" and Blu Cantrell's "Breathe", two further charts hits in 2003. Sean Paul appeared on Punk'd, 106 & Park, Sean Paul Respect, Sean Paul Makes a Video (Get Busy, Gimme The Light, Like Glue, We Be Burnin' and Temperature). His music videos appeared on MTV and BET. Amongst Henriques biggest current hits are Get Busy, Like Glue, Breathe, Gimme The Light, Baby Boy, We Be Burnin', Ever Blazin' and Temperature.

On September 27 2005, Henriques released his third album called The Trinity.

Sean Paul will start working on his fourth album in September 2006 and is currently featured on the single "Break it Off" with Rihanna which appears on her A Girl Like Me album. This title is part of a 'riddim set' (a set of artists that are singing on the same rhythmic base (version also called riddim in Jamaican slang)) as all Jamaican producers use to edit, especially dedicated to Sound Systems's selectaz (those who play the 7-inch singles).

Discography

For complete discography and sales information see: Sean Paul discography

Awards

2004: Grammy Award- Best Reggae Album (Dutty Rock)
2005: Billboard Music Award - Selling Reggae Artist of the Year
2005: Billboard Music Award - Top Selling Reggae Album of the Year (The Trinity)

External links

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Sean Paul

Biography

Discography

Awards

External links