Welcome to REINVENTED with Jen Eckhart! In this episode, Jen speaks with Grammy award-winning musical artist Sean Paul. They discuss how Sean started his legendary career, the first time he heard his music on the radio, his dream musical collaborator, his thoughts on Chet Hanks and Elon Musk, and Sean's latest album LIVE N LIVIN.
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REINVENTED With Grammy Award-Winning Artist Sean Paul
JE: If you went out to nightclubs in the early 2000s or popped in one of those mix tape CDs you and your siblings used to illegally burn back in the day before the days of streaming music on Apple and Spotify, you know what I'm talking about. I’m looking at you, Limewire. I can confidently guess that one name will inevitably show up 10 out of 10 every time is Sean Paul. Even Jake Gyllenhaal said in an interview, “Sean Paul makes even driving fun.” I agree. You can be sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and Sean will make you want to bust a move in the middle of the highway. He's one of Jamaica's most successful, prolific artists. I am excited to welcome Grammy award-winning artist Sean Paul from Jamaica on the show. Everyone has got to love you. How are you?
SP: I'm very good. You?
JE: I'm doing well because you're on the show. Your music not only shaped my teenage years but played a significant role during my Miami Florida upbringing. At every dance party, prom or car ride, your music was always blasting. How does it feel to have that lasting impact?
SP: That's amazing. I’m still confused by young people still listening. I'm very thankful. I'm able to do songs with people like Sia and Clean Bandit, which ground me in the past few years and a few younger fans as well. It’s good stuff.
JE: I'm in Manhattan, New York City. You're in Jamaica. Full disclosure, I would kill to switch places with you. I'd love nothing more than to be on a beach in a bikini with one of those test tube alcohol floater thingies in the daiquiris. Do I get some street cred? I've been to Jamaica a couple of times. I've also been to Dunn's River Falls. I'm curious, living in Jamaica, is an everyday paradise for you?
SP: I love where I live. I've never lived anywhere else. I've done a lot of touring all over the Earth, but this is my home.
JE: Tell the fans and readers out there something about Jamaica that a tourist wouldn't see or know to do. I've been to Jamaica a couple of times, but I want to go back and see Jamaica, but Sean Paul style.
SP: If you come to Kingston in Jamaica, there's a very nice beach. It's called Hellshire Beach. It's got the most amazing fried fish there if you like seafood. They got lobster. Fish on the beach is a must-do if you come to Kingston. That's something that a lot of tourists might not be able to experience at first. If you get to know someone and they take you to that beach, it's amazing.
JE: You gave our readers some insider information. Thanks for that. Sean Paul is our Jamaican tour guide over here. Switching gears, I wanted to invite you to my show because you fit the theme of reinvention well. You're not just a Grammy Award-winning recording artist and producer. To me, you're a visionary who has truly reinvented the music industry. You brought dancehall Get Busy to the masses. Your first major hit came out in 2002. To what do you attribute as the driving force behind being able to reinvent and evolve your music spanning decades?
SP: There's no formula. I do what I feel and what's out there. I keep my ears to the ground. I try to stay in touch with younger producers that are coming up. I help them out over the years until they turn into big producers. We do work together and also with younger artists. That helps keep me in the loop. Even in my international work with people like Becky G, she's younger than me, but she's as dope as any other artist I've worked with. I take chances on these younger artists and producers at times. Alexis Jordan was one of them. You mentioned Got 2 Luv U. She hadn't had a song before. I liked the song. For me, it's about the song, listening to what the fans want for me, and also staying in tune with what's coming on next.
JE: What a lot of people love about you is you send the elevator back down. Have you heard that phrase where, “You can ride the elevator to success, but send it back down to the little guy and help him out?”
SP: At first, I didn't realize what you were saying, but I get it.
JE: It's a great analogy.
SP: What I'm trying to do with this album that I dropped earlier in 2022 is Live N Livin. It is my own production. It is the first album I've released on my own label. It’s been good vibes. I’m working with people who I respect in the business. I revere their talent. I like the way they are determined. A lot of these guys are my friends, also. It's cool to jam with them.
Sean Paul: LIVE N LIVIN is going to drop sometime in this summer.
JE: You are the king of collaboration. People often say, “You don't need to reinvent the wheel,” but I found that reinvention is the key to living a truly fulfilling and authentic life. You've always gotten out of your comfort zone with this music. Do you remember how it felt listening to one of your songs play on the radio for the very first time? Walk your fans through when you first turned on that radio and heard your music.
SP: The first time I had a demo or print of a song that I did. I took it to a person who I respect. He appears full circle now on this album. His name is Mutabaruka. He's a radio show host. Before that and more prominently than that, then I could say he's a very dope poet from Jamaica. He's also a philosopher. He has a great radio show that makes me think, and I've always listened to him for quite some time. I like what he taught me, and I took this record to him. He had a bookshop in New Kingston. I was like, “I have this song. I'm a new artist. Maybe you could check it out.” He said, “Cool.”
I was still in college then. I was studying Hotel Management. I went home to do some schoolwork at about 11:00 or 12:00 that night. I was like, “Yes.” I gave Muta this song. I ran to the radio. I turned it on. As I turned it on, he was saying, “This is huge. Listen to the tune.” It was a very conscious tune. It was about the disparities between Uptown and Downtown Jamaica, from rich or middle-class people to poor people. I was showing the differences. I had no one to tell. There was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I was looking around. My brother had just gone to sleep. My mom was asleep, and here I was, alone with my schoolwork, hearing my song for the first time.
JE: How old were you?
SP: I was about 24. I was in college. I started late in the game in terms of most dance artists, or a lot of prominent ones started from their teenagers or even before. Beenie Man started when he was nine years old. Even being a late starter, it was an amazing feeling for me to know that people out there were hearing. The whole point for me is to express myself in whichever way I want, and people hear it. For me, that's a great feeling.
“That's the whole point for me – to express myself in whichever way I want. And people hear it for me. That's just a great feeling.” – Sean Paul
JE: I love this song Lion Heart from your album. It's my favorite track, but the last track on your album is called Everest. I thought that was interesting because there's a lot of symbolism there that your average listener or fan may not know. Why is it called Everest, and why did you make it the last track?
SP: I've said in the song, “My respect for me that people have is taller than Everest.” It felt like forever. It felt like a hard task to get.
JE: Making this album was like climbing Everest.
SP: It felt like getting the younger guys to work with the more established acts, to do it on my own for the first time in terms of with no label backing, there’s me being the label. Those were all new territories or waters to me. Also, the red tape that comes when you are a producer or label the management versus the lawyers versus all of these stipulations that have to happen. Usually, I'm very cool with artists. That was new to me, and it felt like I was climbing up a huge mountain.
JE: You've changed their lives in ways that you don't even realize.
SP: There's a lot of good that has come from it in terms of both sides. I'm able to keep in the younger listeners' earshot in Jamaica. I keep up to date. Also, I'm able to shine a light on some people's careers that some of my friends worldwide may not know of. It was a double-sided sword. It was very cool to be able to do.
Sean Paul: I'm able to keep in the younger listeners’ earshot in Jamaica. And also I'm able to shine a light on some people's career who some of my friends worldwide may not know of.
JE: You conquered it. You summited the mountain. That speaks volumes of your character. I know we're throwing it way back here, but in one of your hit songs, one of my favorites is Gimme The Light. I've had many people ask me this. Are you allowed to break down what the rest of the lyric means? I know what pass the dro means, but what does bokkle a Moët mean? It's driven me crazy since I was a teenager. I googled it. No one seems to know what it means. They're like, “Is it an alcoholic beverage? Is it champagne?” Can you clear up the confusion for us?
SP: The lyrics say, “Gimme the light and pass the dro. Buss anotha bokkle a Moët.” When I say, “Buss anotha bokkle a Moët,” I'm saying, “Open some champagne.”
JE: I’m never going to refer to it as that. I'm going to say, “Bokkle a Moët.” When I'm at a liquor store, I'm going to say, “Pass another bokkle a Moët.” We love you because you've always stayed true to yourself, your fans, sound and genre while collaborating with many different artists. For those who aren't even familiar, like the older generation reading, you've worked with everyone from Beyoncé, Sia, Tove Lo, one of my favorites, Major Lazer, Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, David Guetta, Shaggy and Spice, the list goes on and on. Who would you love to work with that you haven't already collaborated with? Who would be your next dream collaboration?
SP: Out-of-the-box style, I would love to work with Billie Eilish. She's dope and also Twenty One Pilots as a group. They're dope. Something could happen between me and them. Something I was thinking about, I've always loved The Beatles. My mom instilled that in me. She loved them. She played the music around the house. With Sir Paul McCartney, it would be an honor to do a song with him. Meaningful song, a happy song, or whatever it is. He's a musical genius. He came from one of the best groups of all time. Big up to him and the entire Beatles and on their old catalog.
Sean Paul: I would love to work with Billie Eilish. She's dope. 21 Pilots is also dope. And it would be an honor to do a song with Sir Paul McCartney.
JE: That might surprise a lot of your fans reading like, “Sean Paul listens to The Beatles?” You said your mom listened to The Beatles. That's how you started listening to them.
SP: As a kid, she was like, “I want to hold your hand.” I was like, “What?” She would play it. Immediately, the first time I heard the songs, it was a hit for me. I always went back to the record player and played it back. Years later, I was able to buy the one CD, which was all their number one hits and check out all their stuff. I found that in the earlier years when I was younger, I liked those happy songs. I've been loving songs like Strawberry Fields. They're more like psychedelic-type vibes. I love the work.
JE: That's unique. People would listen to your sound and your music. They would probably never think that you listen to The Beatles. I love that you drop that truth bomb. Sir Paul McCartney, if you were reading, Sean Paul would love to work with you. Sean, how do you write your music? I'm curious. Where do you pull inspiration from? Do you write it on a notepad? Do you make notes on your iPhone? Explain how the creative process works for you. When you're in the studio, and you're like, “This is going to be a major hit,” how does that work?
SP: The rhythm track speaks to me. It tells me what I should say. A lot of the time, I get amazing inspiration. I'll go to the studio. There's no pen or book or phone, but I do use those things at times. When I get stuck a little, I have to write it down and say, “Let me picture this whole song.” For songs like Gimme The Light, it was such a good feeling song. The rhythm was like a party. This is like, “This is great.” I was like, “What am I going to talk about? I'm going to talk about last week in New York. People were busting bottles of mo in the club. I was looking at the ladies. I was trying to find which one was for me.”
Those are always fun. I try to approach music like that and not try to write it down and box it into something because I find that when I do that, you're trying to recreate what somebody else did. When I listen to the track and get the feeling of what it wants me to say, I go toward that. A lot of my songs have to do with ladies. Ladies inspire me. My mom was a single mom for quite some time. Ladies do much for society. In general, me going out and dancing, being at the bar and looking over there and seeing a young lady shake it or go down there as me and Shaggy and Spice inspires it.
JE: Go Down Deh is another new single of yours that I love. You performed that in Good Morning America. It was great. I have so much respect for you. I didn't realize your mom was a single mom. That's incredible. Thank you for shedding some light on that. We've seen celebrity boxing matches skyrocket in popularity, Floyd Mayweather, Logan Paul, Aaron Carter, Lamar Odom. I don't know if you've noticed this. If it were for charity, like the Sean Paul Foundation, for instance, would you be up for participating in any celebrity boxing match? If so, who would you want in the ring with you?
SP: Somebody said that I should duke it out with Charlamagne Tha God. I was like, “He better watch out because I got some kickboxing skills. My knees can come right up.” I'd like to punch some government officials if that's possible.
Sean Paul: I'd like to punch some government officials if that's possible.
JE: You and the rest of the world would sign up to see a boxing match between you and government officials. That's awesome. If Charlamagne is reading, you'll take him on in a boxing match?
SP: He can't test you. Pick someone with some clout. Pick someone that will give you a challenge. He got a lot of talk, so maybe we could. Anything for charity, for a good cause, I would help out. I do a lot of charity here in Jamaica and help people in need all the time. Why not?
JE: We're going to play a super fun game. I'm going to say a word, and you have to say the very first thing that comes to mind. I hope you know who he is. Chet Hanks.
SP: That's a blank for me. I don't know who Chet is.
JE: It’s the universally loved worldwide actor Tom Hanks’ son. White Boy Summer, does that ring a bell?
SP: The first word that comes to my mind is chatbot, which means he talks bad or crazy like I do.
JE: He came out with this song called White Boy Summer. Personally, I don't get it. I don't agree with it. He does speak Jamaican Patois despite being super white and full-on Caucasian. I wanted to roll the tape of it.
SP: “Big up. The whole island is massive. It’s your boy, Chet, coming straight from the Golden Globe. Do you know what I’m saying? Me and my father, Tom Hanks, presenting an award. Soon forward come. Big up. Tune in.”
JE: Is that offensive, or does Chet know what he is talking about? I have to know.
SP: It's not offensive to me. People get all up in their feelings for a lot of reasons on the internet. If they were right there with Chet, they would probably laugh at the office as well. It's important to look at the stuff on the internet that way. A lot of people hate, cuss, fight or disagree on the net.
JE: There is a lot of negativity out there.
SP: When you're in front of a person, it is not perceived that way. That's one of the problems with social media. I always try to remember that. His accent wasn't perfect, but he was doing better than a lot of people that I know.
There’s a lot of negativity out there on the net. But when you're in front of the person, it is not perceived that way. That's one of the problems with social media.
JE: It made you laugh. Here's a million-dollar question. Is the door open for a Chet Hanks featuring Sean Paul White Boy Summer remix?
SP: I'll do the Brown Boy White boy Remix.
JE: If you're reading, Chet Hanks, you got to come on the show and do the remix with Sean. From Chet Hanks to Elon Musk, those are two names I never thought I'd use in the same sentence, but here we are. You were quoted in an interview when asked who your dream dinner guest would be. You surprisingly answered Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. I thought that was such a cool answer. What is it about Elon that interests and inspires you?
SP: At first, I didn't like the Cybertruck thing, but now I love it. I was checking out the specs of it, the amount of miles it goes. I was trying to get an in on how I could get a special custom one. When the question was asked, that was the first thing that came to mind. I was like, “Elon Musk, let me talk to him. Let me have a dinner meeting with him and find out how I could custom one of these trucks out.” I've always wanted an electric car. I've never moved to it. The reason being is because I like big trucks.
JE: I would love video footage of Sean Paul riding in a Cybertruck in Kingston, Jamaica. I would pay money for that.
SP: I'll put a big set in there. I'm going to play Got 2 Luv U in there.
JE: Hypothetically speaking, if you're sitting at dinner across from Elon Musk, besides the Cybertruck, are you asking him to be the first dancehall artist to perform in space?
SP: I don't know. That's something I'm not in agreement with him on going to Mars. He could do a lot of stuff here with that same money that could benefit people here that are lost, suffering or hurt in some way. I would probably discuss that with him too. A lot of his ideas are way out of the box, like this chip-in-the-brain thing. I'm not a fan of that, either. I do like the space program he's had. As a kid, I was always looking forward to seeing when people go out of this atmosphere and explore it. That's something that I've always looked at, but I always thought it was the governments who should do it. With him, I would discuss it fully, all of those topics. I would still try to get a proper steering wheel on the Cybertruck because I don't like those weird steering wheel.
Sean Paul: I'm not in agreement with Musk on going to Mars. I think we could do a lot of stuff here with that same money that could benefit people here that are lost or suffering.
JE: One thing that you and Elon Musk do share in common is you both are visionaries, whether you completely agree with his ideas or not. I'm a TV journalist. I worked at a national network for nearly a decade. When I first met Elon, he walked into the green room. He had no suit and tie. He had no assistant, no publicist with him. He didn't show up with an entourage. He shook everyone's hands and made eye contact with them. In my industry, that's rare. You look at billionaires and feel like they're untouchable, but he was very personable and likable. When I look at a guy like Elon, I see those same qualities in you.
SP: Thank you. I appreciate it. I try to be as great as him one day as he is one day because he is doing big things.
JE: You're doing big things, putting such great music, positive vibes and energy out into the world when we need it most. If we had more Sean Paul music play, the world would be a much more peaceful place. After everything you've learned and accomplished, if you had one piece of advice to give to your younger self before embarking on this incredible music journey you've had, what would it be and why?
SP: I don't have the formula. I wouldn't know. I still don't have a formula that I use. I try to stay true to how I feel. I would tell my younger self, “Do it with your full heart.” There's a representation of how I felt in my video, Gimme The Light. Me and Little Mix did. I was walking on this path of light, and there was a blank. I put my hand out to feel, and there was no light there. You could see that there was nothing there. I then took the step, and then the light lit up. That was about faith. I would tell my younger self, “Keep the faith. Keep doing what you do.”
Just do it, bro. Just do it with your full heart.
JE: For your fans and other readers out there who are reading, what can you promote now? What can fans look forward to? What's next for Sean Paul besides riding around Jamaica in Elon Musk's Cybertruck?
SP: My album Live N Livin is out. It features hardcore dancehall acts. I'm about to drop a new album called Sports Show, which features many great songs and acts as well. I'm about to shoot the video with me and Ty Dolla $ign. It's a song called Only Fanz, which is a pretty cool song. I'm big up to all the ladies who do that.
JE: It’s like the OnlyFans website.
SP: It's poking fun at it but also celebrating ladies who are able to make a means by doing things like that.
JE: They are posting photos of their feet or other assets.
SP: Maybe one day I'll get my own only fans account, and I'll show you how I trim my beard.
JE: They think this is a lucrative business venture for you. A lot of people would love Sean Paul OnlyFans, but maybe we'll see.
SP: Big up to everybody on the album. People like Sia are on the album. Me and her had a number one already. I'm looking for a big response for this song called Dynamite, a feel-good song. I'm a fan of Gwen Stefani. She's on this album as well, with me and Sia on one song. I love rock and reggae songs like I'm Still In Love, a song I did with Sasha quite a few years ago. Stylo G, Jr. Gong and Nicky Jam are on this album. It's a loaded album as well. I can't wait for people to hear it.
JE: Sean, thank you much for taking the time and for all the awesome memories from my teenage to adult years. You have been a staple in my music library for as long as I can remember.
SP: I appreciate it so much. I do it for people to have a good time and free up their minds of the problems that exist. As a kid, there were a lot of problems. My father went to prison. My mom was dealing with 2 businesses and 2 kids by herself, me and my younger brother. I always look forward to music and socializing on the weekend with my friends. For me, to be able to do that for people is an awesome thing.
JE: You bring people together. You're the king of collaboration over here. For all my readers, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to this show. Sean, thanks for coming to the show.
SP: I appreciate it all. Thank you.
JE: Thanks, everyone, for reading.
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