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This article is on the Jamaican reggae artist Sean Paul. For the Atlanta-based rapper of the same name, see YoungBloodZ.
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born January 8, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica), better known by his stage name Sean Paul, is a popular dancehall deejay.
| Sean Paul |
Sean Paul promotional picture for The Trinity (2006).
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques |
| Born |
January 8, 1973 |
| Origin |
Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre(s) |
Dancehall, Reggae |
| Years active |
1996 - present |
| Label(s) |
VP Records
Atlantic Records |
| Website |
seanpaul.net |
|
Contents
- 1 Early life
- 2 Musical career
- 3 Discography
- 4 Awards
- 5 References
- 6 External links
|
Early life
Sean Paul spent his early years "comfortably" (according to his VH1 biography) [1] in Upper Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, a few miles north of his birthplace, Kingston. His parents were both talented athletes, and his mother a well-known painter.[2]
Paul came from mixed multiracial origins. He is the son of a Jewish father (whose Portuguese family emigrated to Jamaica in the 17th Century) and Chinese-Jamaican mother. Also in line with his Sephardi heritage, he was a pupil at the island’s Hillel Academy, a non-religious school funded by the local Jewish community. Asked about his background, he quotes: "My grandmother on my mother's side was born in Coventry, England, but the rest of my grandparents were Jamaican in origin. My mother's father, however, is Chinese and my father's father is from Portuguese descent. My grandmother on my father's side is mixed with black and white." father[3] He claims to be a direct descendant of Solomon through his father.[4]
Many of Paul's family are swimmers.[5]. His grandfather was on the first Jamaican men's national water polo team.[6] His father also played water polo for the team in the 1960's, in addition to competing in long-distance swimming, while Paul's mother was a backstroke swimmer.[7] Paul played for the national water polo team from the age of thirteen to twenty-one.[8]. However, he quit to launch his musical career.
Musical career
Sean Paul is the Son of CHOUHDRY-DAN Although his education did not land him a prosperous career, dancehall music remained Paul's first love, particularly crafting rhythm tracks. He became a deejay after writing his own songs, basing his style largely on the works of Super Cat and Don Yute, the latter was later to become his idol and mentor. Paul also found friends in several members of the reggae-pop band Third World, and in his brother Jason 'Jigzag' Henriques, who helped him open up business connections. Paul released his debut single "Baby Girl (Don't Cry)" 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."
Sean Paul's best-selling album to date is his second release,
Dutty Rock (2002)
In 1999, Paul started to make inroads to audiences in the United States. He was firstly commissioned to collaborate with fellow dancehall hitmaker Mr. Vegas on a production for rapper DMX, entitled "Top Shotter." The song went on to be included in the film Belly (dir. Hype Williams). Paul also recorded the Jamaican chart-topper "Ladies Man" with rapper Spanner Banner, through the latter's label, 'Sweet Angel Productions'.
The song resulted in Paul being approached by the then little-known Harding, who burst on the scene with his production of Beenie Man's crossover hit "Who Am I" and most famously recorded "Baby Girl (Don't Cry)" with Paul. The following single, "Infiltrate," joined the singer's combination hit in the Jamaican top charts. Also that year, Paul scored a top ten hit on the Billboard Rap chart with "Hot Gal Today," which quickly became his signature tune. Unfortunately for Paul, he had a very public fall-out with Mr. Vegas over the packaging of Vegas' remix of "Hot Gal Today," but this did not slow Paul's career momentum.
He played the Summer Jam 2000 in New York City, where he was held in high acclaim. Sean's fanbase grew tremendously with fans from all the world. In August 2000, Paul released his first album, Stage One, on VP Records, which included many of his previous hit singles and compilation cuts, plus several new tracks.
Album cover for
The Trinity (2005)
Two years later, he announced the release of his second effort Dutty Rock. Pushed by the success of the singles "Gimme the Light" and the Billboard Hot 100 topper, "Get Busy," the album was a worldwide success, eventually selling over six million copies. Simultaneously, Paul was heard on Beyoncé's single "Baby Boy" and Blu Cantrell's "Breathe," both chart hits in 2003, and helping to push his reputation further still in the U.S.
He then appeared on Punk'd, 106 & Park, Sean Paul Respect, Making The Video (Get Busy, Gimme The Light, Like Glue, We Be Burnin' and Temperature) and his music videos have been broadcast on MTV and BET. Paul's biggest hits include Get Busy, Gimme The Light, Baby Boy, Temperature, and Give It Up To Me (feat. Keyshia Cole). On September 27, 2005, Henriques released his third album called The Trinity.
Sean Paul on the set of his video for
(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me featuring Keyshia Cole from The Trinity(2006)
Paul spent part of 2006 opening for Mariah Carey's Adventures of Mimi Tour; his stage patter during these shows was almost exclusively directed towards "all the sexy young ladies in the house."
Sean Paul will start working on his fourth album in September 2006[9] and currently features on the single "Break it Off" with Rihanna, on her A Girl Like Me album. This track is part of a 'riddim set'- a group of artists singing on the same rhythmic base. He intends to include more "politically minded" songs in his fourth album, to be released in spring of 2007.[10]
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)
References
- ^ http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/paul_sean/bio.jhtml
- ^ http://top40.about.com/od/artistsls/p/seanpaul.htm
- ^ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060715060850AAT9yT7
- ^ http://spec.hamilton.edu/arts.cfm?action=display&news=1512
- ^ http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8685
- ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1123326_4%7C102882%7C%7C0_0_,00.html
- ^ http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8685
- ^ http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8685
- ^ http://www.musicstarx.net/biography/biography-sean-paul
- ^ http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/08/19/sean_paul_hails_his_musical_forebears/
External links
- Sean Paul Official site
- Sean Paul's MySpace profile
- VH1.com: Sean Paul
- MTV Sean Paul - Artist Area
- SomethingJewish - Sean Paul
- Sean Paul at the Internet Movie Database
- Sean Paul's Videos on Blastro
- Sean Paul interview - Video
- Hot 99.5 DC's Hottest Music - Burnin' With Sean Paul (video)
- Sean Paul on WikiMusicGuide
Categories: Wikipedia articles needing copy edit | 1973 births | Warner Music Group artists | Dance musicians | Dancehall musicians | Grammy Award winners | Hip hop singers | Jamaican musicians | Living people | Male singers | Reggae musicians | Rhythmic Top 40 acts | Jamaican Jews
