Sean Paul Says His Best Collaboration Was With Rihanna
With numerous international collaborations under his belt, Dancehall superstar Sean Paul revealed that he considers his 2006 link-up with Barbadian singer Rihanna the best to date.
While being interviewed by 15-year old sisters, DJs Amira and Kayla, on their Instagram show Beats and Convo, Sean Paul said Break It Off was his favorite out of the dozens of international collaborations he has done.
“I remember it being Rihanna,” Paul said when asked by the twins about his best collab. “Cause she came to Jamaica and we did a song called Break it Off.”
Paul said the collab was special to him because of the fact that Rihanna journeyed to Jamaica to make it happen. Prior to this, Paul said he either had to do collaborations via the internet or fly out of the island to get it done.
Break It Off, produced and co-written by Jamaican Don Corleon, was released as the fourth single on Rihanna’s second studio album, A Girl like Me. Sean Paul recalled that the track was made just before Rihanna recorded Umbrella with Jay-Z.
The Temperature singer added that he was happy to get the chance to show her how it’s done in Jamaica. “She came here. She experienced the food, the beach, the clubs, the studios and it was cool to show someone that. Someone who was big in the music industry,” he said.
That experience has made the “very memorable” collab his top-rated pick. Paul added, “and she’s dope. Big up to her.”
In its fourteenth week on the Billboard Hot 100, Break It Off peaked at No. 9. Eight years later, in 2015, it was awarded a Gold certification by the RIAA for moving 500,000 units.
Sean Paul has mined hit collaborations with several artists over the years, including Keyshia Cole ( Give It Up To Me ), Blu Cantrell ( Breathe ), DMX and Mr. Vegas ( Here Comes The Boom ), Beyoncé ( Baby Boy ), Sia ( Cheap Thrills ) and Clean Bandit ( Rockabye ).
In March 2020, he told Power 106 that Rihanna was one of the only international artists who has given Dancehall music the treatment it deserves. He added that he was dying to hear her upcoming ninth studio album, which has been dubbed R9 by her fans. “The person that I feel has done it the best way, and I’m dying to hear this album, is Rihanna. Cause she says, ‘I’m doing a dancehall album.’”
Rihanna hasn’t released an album since her triple-platinum project, Anti, in 2016. In recent years, she has taken a step back from music in order to focus on her many business ventures. But, her Reggae and Dancehall-inspired upcoming album is going to be worth the wait, according to the singer.
“I am always working on music,” she told Entertainment Tonight in July 2020. “When I’m ready to put it out in the way that I feel fit, it’s gonna come out. You’re not gonna be disappointed when it happens. It’s going to be worth it. I am not just gonna put it out just because people are waiting like it’s taken this long and I’m gonna make it worth it.”
While Shaggy said he turned down an ‘audition’ to appear on the new album, Koffee has hinted at a collaboration with the Barbadian singer. There were also reports that Rihanna registered a new song with her music publisher, BMI, titled Private Loving with credits to Demarco and Monique Lawz.
Yesterday, Sean Paul also shared that he was very happy to work with a lot of other artists that he admires and who have also used their influence to spread positivity in the world like Buju Banton and Damian Marley.
“I think Dancehall has come a long way and people think it’s gone somewhere again. I’m just saying, hey, check the pulse we’re here.” He added, “I felt like uniting and doing music with my fellow peers would be a great thing for the genre itself.”
Banton and Marley will appear on his upcoming album, Live N Livin set for release on March 12. Fifteen of the 16 tracks are collaborative efforts with 21 Dancehall and Reggae artists. Boom featuring Busy Signal, Real Steel featuring Intence, and Dem Nuh Ready Yet featuring Leftside have already been released.
A second Sean Paul album, Scorcher, will be released later this year to target a more international audience with features from American singer Gwen Stefani, Australian singer Sia, UK-based deejay Stylo G, and Dancehall songbirds Shenseea and Jada Kingdom.
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