Sean Paul

Early Years

Sean Paul was born Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques in Kingston, Jamaica on January 9, 1973. He grew up in St. Andrew’s Parish, just north of Kingston, relatively insulated from the poverty that is rife in Kingston. In his childhood days, he was an avid swimmer and water polo player - even playing for the Jamaican National Water Polo team. Though he had access to educational opportunities, his love was music, and he turned away from school to become a DJ, working in clubs and producing his own rhythm tracks. One of his inspirations was Super Cat, who had broken into the American market in the early 90s with tracks such as Dolly My Baby and Ghetto Red Hot.

Jamaican Success

With the help of mentor Don Yute and producer Jeremey Harding (who was behind Beenie Man’s crossover success), Sean Paul released his first single in Jamaica in 1996. The song, Baby Girl, became an instant hit. He followed up with four more singles, Nah Get No Bly (One More Try), Deport Them, Excite Me, and Hackle Mi, all of which were hugely successful in Jamaica.

His increased success in Jamaica began to draw the attention of US musicians, especially fellow dancehall artist Mr. Vegas. Mr. Vegas brought him in on a collaboration, along with DMX, on a track for the soundtrack for the Hype Williams film Belly. The track brought Sean Paul’s name to a wider audience, marking one more step towards cracking the international market.

International Success

B96 Radio Station Summer Jam 2006

Building on the popularity of his track on the Belly soundtrack, Sean Paul released Hot Gal Today in 1999. The song reached the top 10 in the Billboard rap charts. Despite falling out with his mentor, Mr. Vegas, he went on to perform at the Summer Jam 2000 in New York City, and then released his first album, Stage One, in the fall of that year. A collection of his old Jamaican hits, plus a few new bonus tracks, the album was released on VP Records.

Though Stage One failed to break into the Billboard Top 100, Sean Paul released a second album in 2002 - Dutty Rock. Dutty Rock is the album that launched Sean Paul into mainstream success, reaching number 2 in the UK charts and number 9 in the Billboard charts. Get Busy, one of the album tracks, soared to number 1. The album eventually sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and won the 2004 Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

In this same period, he also charted with two duets - Baby Boy, with Beyonce, which was featured on Dutty Rock and went to number 1 in charts, and Breathe, with Blu Cantrell, from her album Bittersweet. Breathe reached number 1 in the UK.

Following up on the success of Dutty Rock, Sean Paul released The Trinity in 2005. The Trinity reached number 7 in the US, number 11 in the UK, and featured the number 1 hit single Temperature. Re-issues of the album include his duet with Rihanna on her song Break It Off. The Trinity won the 2005 Billboard award for Best Selling Reggae Album, and Sean Paul won the 2005 Billboard award for Best Selling Reggae Artist.

The Future

Sean at the House of Blues, 2005

Sean Paul continues to go from success to success. He will start recording his new studio album in September 2006, released date still to be announced. He also plans to get more involved in bringing world attention to the violence of everyday life in Jamaica, brought on by poverty and the drug trade.

Sean Paul Trivia

• His nicknames are Movin’ Easy, S Peezy, and City Kitty Controller.

• Sean Paul and Mr. Vegas fell out over the packaging of Mr. Vegas’ remix of Hot Gal Today.

• His mother is from Coventry, England.

• His claims to be related to King Solomon on his father’s side.