Sean Paul - Femalefirst Exclusive

16-09-2005 23:00

Femalefirst meets the king of dancehall as he makes his return with new album The Trinity

By Sarah Williams

At one time an underground sound that began with kids partying under streetlights in Jamaica, dancehall has since exploded in a massive way. Like its predecessor, underground hip-hop, dancehall has now reached mainstream audiences all over the world, becoming one of the biggest selling music genres along the way. It's also put Jamaica back on the map in a way that hasn't been seen since Bob Marley And The Whalers brought there very own sun-filled, ganjafied, Jamaica rhythm into our hearts.Over the years there have been many reggae acts that have embodied the carefree Jamaican party spirit, but there is possibly none more famous right now than Sean Paul. Since the release of his multi-platinum selling album Dutty Rock in 2003 Sean Paul has successfully infused his unique dancehall rhythm with party friendly hip-hop beats on songs like 'Gimmie The Light', 'Shake That Thing' and 'Like Glue.' All have seen him leap over the great divide to work with some of the most influential musical artists today, like Beyonce, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes, and more recently Santana, just to name a few.But Sean Paul, or as some may know him, Sean Paul Henriques has in fact, been a massive star in his hometown Jamaica for almost 10 years. When his first single 'Baby Girl' blew up in 1996 it got him recognised as a pure, raw talent that saw him develop a solid fan base in the party scene, it also held him in good stead for the future that lay ahead.Somehow he is still amazed at just how he got from there to here. "I used to think back in the day in like 96, when I started," he said, "I would see Puffy or whoever on the screen and I thought dancehall music could be represented in that way, but it probably never will its underground music. So I just kept doing it because I loved it and when it blew up to levels, selling like five or six million records, it blew my mind."Even though Sean Paul has the lavish lifestyle that some people can only dream of, his heart is still rooted firmly in the place of his birth. He calls Jamaica a 'happening place' and tells me that he still misses the little things that are going on there. He even regrets not being there when hurricane Ivan hit in 2004. But his new found status did allow him to help his people by donating $1 Million dollars to the relief effort, because, as he explains, "I have been blessed because of these people and I thought I should give them something back." continued..