Promoting Unity within the Dancehall Genre
When Sean Paul began elevating uncut Jamaican dancehall into the pop charts during the early 2000s, the records that impacted popular culture were not crossover attempts dreamed up by major label A&R reps. They were juggling riddims like 2Hard Productions’ Playground riddim, Troyton’s Buzz riddim, Lenky’s Diwali riddim, and Tony Kelly’s Buyout riddim. Besides topping the charts, winning a Grammy for his 2002 breakout album Dutty Rock, and appearing on the cover of VIBE magazine, Sean Paul went on to work with global superstars from Beyoncé and Rihanna to Busta Rhymes and DMX. Despite his global achievements, Sean Paul never separated himself from the authentic dancehall sounds of Jamaica. His latest album Live N Livin, released on the artists’ own Dutty Rock Productions imprint, finds him collaborating with a galaxy of stars from Jamaican dancehall culture, ranging from household names like Damian Marley and Mavado to rising stars like Intence and Govana—giving them a strength and promoting a much-needed spirit of unity within dancehall. “I am still signed to Island Records,” says Sean. “They’ve done something real unconventional so I really have to tip my hat to them. They’ve always given me permission to work with local producers like Jordan from Chimney and Stephen McGregor. But this is something that’s never been done before. They’ve given me permission to release an album on my own label.” Today Boomshots and VIBE proudly premieres the brand new visuals for “Boom,” a wicked collaboration between Sean Paul and the Turf President himself, Busy Signal. “I rate him as one of the best lyricists in the genre,” Sean says of Busy. “For me this is an attempt to really shine a light on his career. He’s done amazing works from the hardcore dancehall to people like Major Lazer. So this song is my way of saying that I would endorse this dude as one of the dopest.” Video After The Jump…
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