b. Sean Paul Henriques, 8 January 1973, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Paul was educated at Wolmers High School near the National Heroes Stadium, and the exclusive Bel Air High School in uptown Mandeville. His principal vocational research was at the College Of Arts Science And Technology in Hope Road, and he was trained in commerce with a view to pursuing an occupation in hotel management. Although he was qualified in this domain he was drawn to the excitement of the dancehall. He began as a songwriter although he found greater success as a performer. In 1997, Paul recorded in combination with Spanner Banner on the Jamaican chart-topper, ‘Ladies Man’, through the singer’s Sweet Angel Productions. The hit resulted in him embarking on sessions with Jeremy Harding, a 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 favourite ‘Baby Girl’, which was followed by the more successful, ‘Infiltrate’. The latter single joined the singer’s combination hit in the Jamaican chart.
Sean Paul’s style is reminiscent of the established DJ Spragga Benz, although he has also been compared to Junior Cat. Aware of the comparisons, he nurtured his own unique style widely considered as ‘uptown’. A series of hits ensued including the enlightening ‘Deport Them’, and the intriguing ‘Strategy’. In 1998 multiple hits emerged, most notably ‘Work With It’, ‘Hot Gal Today’, ‘Woman Yuh Hot’, ‘Report To Me’ and ‘Faded’, all of which maintained the DJ’s profile. The furore of the dancehall crew in Jamaica led to most principal DJs joining forces with emerging vocalists as a team. Paul was no exception. The DJ joined the Dutty Cup Crew alongside Don Yute, Mossy Kid and Luger Man. In combination the team released the popular ‘Groove Me’ and ‘Jamone’, which were particularly successful in New York. Paul continued to release dancehall favourites as a soloist and in combination with the Dutty Cup Crew. In the winter of 1998, he recorded a version of the ‘Unda Wata’ rhythm as ‘Ladies Man’. The chant was a braggadocio rapport that related to a girl whom he felt necessary to conceal from the rest of the crew. The Unda Wata video featured a megamix of the tune with Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Buccaneer, Machel and General Degree alongside the singer. Security was tense when the all-star line-up filmed the phenomenally successful promo at the Asylum Club in Kingston.
In 1999, Paul’s career was firmly established when he embarked on a hectic touring schedule taking in Europe, Japan and the USA. He collaborated with Mr. Vegas and US rapper DMX on a contribution to the soundtrack of Hype Williams’ Belly. He cemented his popularity in the USA with a hit remix of ‘Hot Gal Today’ and the album release, Stage One. In 2002, Paul enjoyed a mainstream US Top 10 hit with ‘Gimme The Light’. He was even more successful the following year when ‘Get Busy’ rose steadily up the charts before reaching the number 1 position in May. The attendant Dutty Rock reached the US Top 10, racking up sales of one million plus and later earning the singer a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Paul dominated the airwaves during the summer of 2003, appearing on massive hit singles by Blu Cantrell (‘Breathe’) and Beyoncé (‘Baby Boy’). Further transatlantic hits followed over the next two years with ‘I’m Still In Love With You’ (featuring female vocalist Sasha) and ‘Touch My Body’ (in collaboration with Nina Sky). His new solo single ‘We Be Burnin’’ was released in July 2005, and was followed by The Trinity. The album also generated the US number 1 single ‘Temperature’.
