This article is on the reggae singer from Jamaica. For the Atlanta-based rapper, See YoungBloodZ. Sean Paul Sean Paul Musical artist Birth name Sean Paul Henriques Born January 9, 1973 Origin Kingston, Jamaica Genre/s Dancehall, Reggae Years active 1997–present Website Official website Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born January 9, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a very popular Dancehall singer, also called the Dancehall King. He is best known by his stage name, Sean Paul. Contents 1 Biography 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles 3 Awards 4 External links Biography Sean Paul has a multiracial background. He states that "My heritage is mixed up. My mother's mother was born in Coventry, England, but the rest of my grandparents were born in Jamaica. My mother's father is Chinese and my father's father is mixed with white and Portuguese. My father's mother is mixed with black and white." This includes Sephardic Jewish heritage. Both his parents are Jamaican natives. His nicknames include "Movin Easy", "City Kitty Controller", "S Peezy", "Di gal dem overall". Sean Paul's voice and style of singing is often compared to Jamaican 1990s dancehall sensation Super Cat. The Trinity (2005) He played for the Jamaican national water polo team and alleges to be related to King Solomon through his father. Sean Paul is a die hard Arsenal fan. Dancehall DJ Sean Paul began scoring hit singles in Jamaica starting in 1996, and has since attracted American attention with his appearance on the soundtrack of Hype Williams' #Belly (with Mr. Vegas and DMX) and his 1999 hit "Hot Gal Today." Born Sean Paul Henriques on January 9, 1973, Paul grew up comfortably in St. Andrew, Jamaica, his mother a renowned painter. He was a skilled athlete, excelling in swimming and especially water polo, playing for the Jamaican national team in the latter. Although his education was enough to land a prosperous career, dancehall music remained Paul's first love, particularly crafting rhythm tracks. He became a DJ after he began writing his own songs, patterning his style largely after Super Cat and finding a mentor in Don Yute; he also found contacts in several members of the reggae-pop band Third World in 1993, which helped open up business connections. Sean Paul released his debut single, "Baby Girl," 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." In 1999, Sean Paul started to make inroads to American audiences; he was first commissioned to collaborate with fellow dancehall hitmaker Mr. Vegas on a production for rapper DMX; titled "Here Comes the Boom," the song was included in director Hype Williams' film #Belly. Also that year, Paul scored a Top Ten hit on the ~Billboard rap charts with "Hot Gal Today," which quickly became his signature tune. Unfortunately, Paul had a very public falling out with Mr. Vegas over the packaging of the latter's remix of "Hot Gal Today"; still, it didn't slow Paul's career momentum, as he played the ~Summer Jam 2000 in New York City, the center of his American popularity. That fall, Paul released his first album on VP Records; the sprawling Stage One collected many of Paul's previous hit singles and compilation cuts, plus a few brand-new tracks. Henriques's whole family were swimmers. His father's father was on the first Jamaican water polo team. When Henriques was 3, his father would throw him in the water at summer camp and would say to the other children "not bad for a little dude". Henriques himself joined the Jamaican Water Polo Team. In 1997, Henriques and Spanner Banner recorded the Jamaican chart-topper, Ladies Man, through the singer's Sweet Angel Productions. The song resulted in his embarking on sessions with Jeremy Harding, a then 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 favorite Baby Girl. The following single, Infiltrate, joined the singer's combination hit in the Jamaican top charts. In 2000 Henriques released his first album, Stage One. Two years later he announced the release of his second effort, Dutty Rock. Pushed by the success of the CD's first and second singles Gimme The Light and the Hot 100 topper Get Busy, the album became a worldwide smash, eventually selling over 6 million copies all around the globe. Simultaneously Sean was heard on Beyoncé's single Baby Boy and Blu Cantrell's Breathe, two further charts hits in 2003. Sean Paul appeared on Punk'd, 106 & Park and Sean Paul Makes a Video, while his music videos appeared on MTV and BET. Amongst Henriques biggest hits are Get Busy, Like Glue, Breathe, Gimme The Light, Baby Boy, We Be Burnin, Ever Blazin, Temperature and many more. On September 27, 2005, Henriques released his third album called The Trinity. His current #1 hit from The Trinity (album) is Temperature. Sean Paul will start working on his fourth album in September 2006. The single, he is featured on is Break it Off with Rihanna which appears on her A Girl Like Me will hit radios early July. This title is part of a 'riddim set' (a set of artists that are singing on the same rhythmic base (version also called riddim in Jamaican slang)) as all Jamaican producers use to edit, especially dedicated to Sound Systems's selectaz (those who play the 7 inches singles). Discography For complete discography and sales information see: Sean Paul discography Albums Stage One (2000) Dutty Rock (2002) #9 US (2x Platinum), #2 UK (2x Platinum), #22 AUS, 6 million worldwide The Trinity (2005) #7 US (Platinum), #11 UK (Gold) 4 million worldwide The Trinity Special Edition (2006) Singles Year Title Chart Positions Album US Hot 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop US Rap UK Singles Chart Germany Top100 1998 "Infiltrate" - - - - - Stage One 1998 "Hot Gal Today ft. Mr Vegas" - - - - - Stage One 1998 "Deport Them" 39 45 52 55 - Stage One 2002 "Gimme the Light" 2 5 10 17 - Dutty Rock 2002 "Hey Sexy Lady" (Remix) (with Shaggy) 8 13 15 20 - 2003 "Gimme the Light" (Re-Release) - 2 3 5 35 Dutty Rock 2003 "Get Busy" 1 (3 weeks) 1 2 4 3 Dutty Rock 2003 "Like Glue" 13 9 5 3 20 Dutty Rock 2003 "Breathe" (Blu Cantrell featuring Sean Paul) 99 83 - 1 (4 weeks) 7 Bittersweet 2003 "Baby Boy" (Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul) 1 (9 weeks) 1 (5 weeks) - 2 4 Dangerously in Love / Dutty Rock 2004 "I'm Still in Love With You" (featuring Sasha) 14 13 8 6 19 Dutty Rock 2005 "We Be Burnin'" 6 17 6 2 5 The Trinity 2005 "Ever Blazin'" - - - 12 20 The Trinity / X-Men 3 OST 2006 "Temperature" 1 (1 week) 5 2 11 14 The Trinity / Madagascar OST 2006 "Give It Up to Me (Remix) (featuring Keyshia Cole) 97 25 - - - The Trinity 2006 "Cry Baby Cry" (Carlos Santana featuring Sean Paul and Joss Stone) - - - 71 47 All That I Am 2006 "Break It Off" (Rihanna featuring Sean Paul) - - - - - A Girl Like Me 2006 "Slow Wind" (R. Kelly and Akon featuring Sean Paul) - - - - - 2006 "Never Gonna Be The Same" - - - - - The Trinity 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) External links Sean Paul's MySpace profile Sean Paul Official site Sean Paul Online- French fansite Your #1 Sean Paul source Interview with Sean Paul AceShowbiz Database AOL Music Biography Lyrics Lyrics other site DJBooth.net Interview with Sean Paul Musicrooms.net Interview with Sean Paul Last.fm Artist Description Search Term: "Sean_Paul" Categories: 1973 births | Dancehall musicians | Grammy Award winners | Hip hop singers | Jamaican musicians | Living people | Male singers | Multiracial entertainers | Reggae musicians | Rhythmic Top 40 acts