Sean Paul’s Billboard Excellence
Although his work ethic is that of someone who’s still trying to make a name for themselves, Jamaican legend Sean Paul has not only conquered the mountaintop of Dancehall, but has comfortably made a home there. From being a small open mic performer in Kingston, in the mid-90s, to holding the enviable title of being one of the most commercially successful Dancehall artist of all time, saying Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques has done well for himself may be quite the understatement.
From dominating on Spotify, having recorded over 625 million streams last year (2020), to making frequent bangers on the international scene, it’s time we take a look back and appreciate some of Sean Paul’s most notable work, specifically his 19 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart! He gave us the light, so now it’s time to give him his roses!
1. Gimme The Light (2002)
It’s 2002. You’re at the club, but it’s getting late. You also have work in the morning. You’re about to leave when you suddenly hear, “Just gimme the light…”! What do you do? The only acceptable response is that you stay until sunrise, then call-in to work sick the next day. That’s it. Gimme The Light had such a mystical hold over the early 2000’s that you just had to be there to experience. Signalling Paul’s arrival and subsequent stay on the international scene as a versatile dancehall artiste, Gimme The Light peaked at Number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It also became a top-20 hit in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The song’s video currently has over 17 million views on YouTube.
2. Get Busy (2003)
Spending 32 weeks on the Hot 100 Chart and peaking at Number 1, Get Busy, from Paul’s Grammy Award-winning Dutty Rock album, almost instantly became a party anthem when it was released in January (the 27th) of 2003. By the 9th of May that year, Get Busy made its climb to the top of the chart, had featured on Saturday Night Live, was Number 1 in Italy and the Netherlands and was a top-10 hit in 11 other countries.
3. Like Glue (2003)
Let’s face it: Like Glue was the official players’ anthem of 2003. With the characteristic references to the en vogue culture (at the time?) of having multiple women (“… stick to my girls like glue…”) and smoking weed (“… need a lot of trees up in my head”), Paul delivered yet another classic from his Dutty Rock album – one which seamlessly peaked at Number 13 on August 29, 2003. Spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart, the song also became a top-10 hit in Canada, Switzerland and the UK. The song was also interestingly listed as the 325th best song of the 2000’s by Pitchfork, and, if you were a gamer back in those days, you may recall hearing it in the popular video game, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.
4. Baby Boy (Beyonce ft. Sean Paul) (2003)
The second single from Beyonce’s debut solo album, Dangerously In Love, Baby Boy proved the perfect track for a Sean Paul who was no longer a stranger to international success at that point. The Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment release effortlessly peaked at Number 1 and stayed on the chart 29 weeks, and despite reports that Jay Z had somehow felt threatened by Sean Paul and Beyonce’s closeness throughout working on the video, the song managed to be a wild success. Additionally, Beyonce is reported as saying, when the song was first written, that it would have been “perfect” to have Sean Paul on the track. She subsequently invited him on, and the rest, as we know it, is history.
5. Breathe (Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul) (2003)
Peaking at Number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, Breathe, by American singer/songwriter, Blu Cantrell, from her studio album Bittersweet, was a track that benefitted well from Paul’s dynamic talent. Despite peaking at 70, the true success of the song could be found outside the US in places like the United Kingdom, where it topped the UK Singles Chart, and represented Paul and Cantrell’s first chart-topper in Britain, stomping out Daniel Beddingfield’s Never Gonna Leave You. Even so, the song went Platinum in the UK with over 800,000 units sold, and went Gold in Australia with over 35,000 units sold.
6. I’m Still In Love With You (ft. Sasha) (2004)
Go watch the video for this song on YouTube. Now. Everything about the video, from the super baggy pants to the sports jerseys-themed fashionwear, and the uh, dancing (seriously, watch the video, you’ll get it) is an homage to and is reminiscent of two eras in Dancehall and Reggae music – ‘Rub a Dub’ and ‘Rocksteady’ – that may not soon return. Still, Paul delivered swimmingly on this duet track, which peaked at Number 14 on the chart, spending a total of 25 weeks. Recorded in 2003, the Steely, Clevie and Murray Elias-produced track cracked the top-10 in countries such as Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary and Italy.
7. We Be Burnin’ (2005)
Peaking at Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, We Be Burnin’ set the summer of 2005 ablaze with its upbeat, carefree charm as the first single from Paul’s third studio album, The Trinity. Unsurprisingly, despite the song becoming the go-to track for those who were set on having fun that summer, its original intent was to be an ode to Paul’s affinity for um, “burning trees”. The song landed at Number 2 in the UK.
8. Give It Up To Me (ft. Keyshia Cole) (2006)
If you were secretly practicing your dance moves to start your own crew, or just to be prepared for the reality that someone could challenge you to a dance off (owing to the proliferation of dance movies that dominated the early-to-mid-2000’s), then you have most definitely come across the Sean Paul and Keyshia Cole’s classic Give It Up To Me. Featured in the 2006 dance film, Step Up, starring Channing Tatum, the song peaked at Number 3 and spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100 chart. The song was also certified Gold in Canada with 40 thousand units sold.
9. Temperature (2006)
Released in 2006 (February 23), Temperature turned the heat up on the international scene, becoming one of Paul’s most successful singles, selling in excess of one million digital downloads. Produced by Rohan “Snowcone” Fuller, Temperature peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a whopping 31 weeks on the chart, 17 of them in the top 10. The song was also featured in the film, Norbit, starring Eddie Murphy.
10. Break It Off (Rihanna ft. Sean Paul) (2007)
Snagging another top-tier international collaboration, this time with Rihanna, Paul was invited to be a part of Break It Off, as part of the now billionaire’s second studio album, A Girl Like Me. Paul has shared that working with Rihanna was his ‘most memorable and best collaboration. The song peaked at Number 9 on the chart, spending a total of 20 weeks, and continued to do well, bagging two Broadcast Music, Inc. London Awards.
11. So Fine (2009)
Peaking at Number 50 on the chart, So Fine premiered on April 25, 2009, from Paul’s fourth studio album, Imperial Blaze. Paul went on to do a home live performance of the song for MTV in September of 2009.
12. Do You Remember (Jay Sean ft. Sean Paul and Lil Jon) (2009)
Remember that year in music when Jay Sean was all the rave? Well, no hit would have been complete without the vocals of the former national water polo player, Sean Paul. The J-Remy and Bobby Bass-produced song debuted on November 3, 2009, peaking at Number 10 on the chart. In an interview back in 2010, Jay Sean shared that he was a big Sean Paul fan, so when Paul approached him at the MTV VMA’s suggesting they do something together, he went back through his just-recorded songs, heard ‘Do You Remember’, and figured it would have been perfect to have Paul on that track. The song was certified Platinum in Australia and the United States, racking up over 70,000 and over one million units sold respectively; and was also certified Gold in New Zealand. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for 20 weeks.
13. Shake Senora (Pitbull ft. Sean Paul and T-Pain) (2011)
This sort of dream collaboration between men who had been dominating the 2000’s on some level in their respective ways, was almost certain to chart – and that it did. Shake Senora peaked on the chart at Number 69, and was subsequently featured in the trailer for the animated film, Hotel Transylvania: Summer Vacation. The song also charted in Belgium, Canada and New Zealand.
14. Got 2 Luv U (Sean Paul ft. Alexis Jordan) (2011)
Mohawk haircut Sean Paul was a different breed, and Got 2 Luv U, from his fifth studio album, Tomahawk Technique, was evidence of that. Released on July 19, 2011 by Atlantic Records, Got 2 Luv U peaked at Number 84 on the chart. Paul’s patois-infused rapping was soundly complemented by Alexis Jordan’s pop, sultry style, which saw the single not only being featured in the film, Magic Mike, but also going certified Platinum in Germany, Australia and Switzerland, certified Gold in Austria, Canada and Spain, and Silver in the United Kingdom. The song spent six weeks on the chart, peaked at that #84 spot on October 14.
15. She Doesn’t Mind (2011)
Released on October 31, 2011, but peaking at Number 78 on the Hot 100 Chart in 2012, She Doesn’t Mind proved to be yet another successful single from Paul’s Tomahawk Technique album. Described as “electropop dancehall”, the single spent one week on the US chart but did exceptionally well internationally, going Platinum in Austria, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom and 2X Platinum in Switzerland. It also went Gold in Italy, and 3X Gold in Germany.
16. Bailando (Enrique Iglesias ft. Sean Paul, Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona) (2014)
Enrique Iglesias’ Bailando, featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona, was No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart for 41 weeks. The Spanglish remix (with Sean Paul) aided the song to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record won Song of the Year, Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2014, and is 4X platinum in the US.
17. Rockabye (Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Ann-Marie) (2016)
A song about the hardships of single mothers, Rockabye became one of Clean Bandit’s most successful singles, peaking at Number 9 and spending a total of 27 weeks on the chart. With the inclusion of Sean Paul and Ann-Marie, it was no surprise then when the song became the UK’s Number 1 Christmas song in 2016, and further held the top spot on the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks that year. Internationally, the song did extremely well, going multiple-times Platinum in a number of countries, including 5X Platinum in Australia, 7X Platinum in Canada, 5X Platinum in Netherlands, and 3X Platinum in the US.
18. Cheap Thrills (Sia ft. Sean Paul) (2016)
“Up wid it girl, rock wid it girl, show dem it girl…” C’mon! Who didn’t instantly start dancing as soon as that intro came on? Cheap Thrills peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 2016 as the brainchild of Australian superstar singer, Sia, and felt like it would have been incomplete without Sean Paul’s inimitable vocals. The “bouncy”, “reggae-tinged” synthpop, as the song is described, proved to be Sia’s first number-one single on the chart. The song has subsequently been featured in Marvel’s Black Widow (2021). Cheap Thrills was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, topped the charts in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom and a host of other countries. It is also certified 4-times platinum in the US, UK, Australia, Belgium and Sweden. Oh, by the way, the song’s lyrics video has over 1.6 billion YouTube views. Yeah. Ain’t a thing cheap about that.
19. Subeme La Radio (Enrique Iglesias ft. Sean Paul) (2017)
This 2017 banger, (which means Turn Up The Radio For Me in English) led by long-time Spanish heartthrob Enrique Iglesias, peaked at Number 81 on the chart. Released on February 24, 2017, the song reaped significant international success, going 5X Platinum in Spain and Italy, 4X Platinum in Switzerland, Poland and Mexico, and Platinum in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and Norway. It spent a total of 9 weeks on the chart.
IN CONCLUSION…
Without a doubt, Sean Paul is a living legend, and he’s got 19 solid reasons to prove that. His impact will be in a league of its own when it’s all said and done.
And he’s definitely not done yet. The deejay will release his eighth studio album, titled Scorcher, sometime in August 2021. The project will reportedly feature Ty Dolla Sign, Stylo G, Tove Lo, Nicky Jam, Jada Kingdom, Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley, Shenseea, Gwen Stefani, and Sia.