For Sean Paul, These Are Dancehall’s Most Impactful Songs

Dancehall superstar Sean Paul has listed veteran deejay Little Twitch’s Respect Due and Louie Culture’s Ganga Lee as the top two songs from which he took his life cues, which along with Buju Banton’s Bogle and Beenie Man’s Old Dog, had an indelible impact on the Dancehall genre and his own career.

Respect Due

In a recent interview with Red Bull’s Will Lavin, Sean said that the lyrics of Respect Due, the 1987 track recorded by Little Twitch (given name Richard Wright), inspired him to always be respectful of others.

“Respect Due came out a few years before the golden era of dancehall. The riddim is more of a one-drop reggae style, with a heavy bass line and crazy phrases over it. It highlights the importance of respect and manners and being honourable, which was a big thing when I was in high school,” Sean Paul explained.

“I’ve always been a respectful person, and when I first heard this song I knew I was on the right path in life,” the Temperature artist added.

Little Twitch who now resides in Queens New York, is a native of Cockburn Gardens in Kingston 11, known widely for his Rub-a-Dub style, a Reggae/Dancehall hybrid which began in the late 1970s.  Little Twitch got his “buss” in Dancehall in the mid-1980s when he signed with Killamanjaro Studios after he won a sound clash on their behalf.

He later signed to King Jammys and recorded, in addition to Respect Due, songs such as Devil Send You Come and Send Fi Spanish Fly, a track which made it on the soundtrack of the 1989 film The Mighty Quinn starring Denzel Washington.

Twitch toured Europe and North America extensively with artists such as Shabba Ranks, Admiral Bailey, Chaka Demus, and Super Cat.  His more recent releases include Black Roses in My Garden, The System and They Don’t Give a Damn.   Last year he released a single and a video titled Memories, in tribute to Daddy U-Roy pioneering godfather of Jamaican dancehall music, who not only hailed from his community but was a mentor to him.

Ganga Lee

Louie Culture’s Gangalee, a monster hit in 1994, also served to empower Sean Paul vastly in the years prior to him becoming a global superstar.

“This was quite unique, because at the time Dancehall tracks were mostly about partying, and it was a conscious song on a party riddim,” the Wolmer’s High School old boy explained.

“Louie Culture was talking about wanting to be free from anything that tied you down. As kids, we didn’t know exactly what a ‘ganga lee’ was, but we understood the message: It’s about being your own person, forging your own path. It’s a very powerful track,” he said.

Ganga Lee, which has been Louie Culture’s biggest song to date, was released in 1994 on the Corduroy riddim by Stone Love Movement and topped numerous Reggae charts worldwide, and propelled the Windsor Forest, Portland native to stardom.

While a part of Dave Kelly’s Mad House Crew, Louie recorded songs such as Excellence, No Gal, Live and Learn, a collaboration with Wayne Wonder, Bogus Badge and Revolution.

Bogle

As for Buju Banton’s 1992 hit Bogle, Sean pointed out that the song paid homage to the most popular dance move created by Gerald “Bogle” Levy one of Dancehall’s most flamboyant figures.  Buju’s song, which was produced by iconic producer Dave Kelly, was responsible for setting a trend in Dancehall where songs were made about these dance moves.

“Dance moves are a big part of dancehall culture and this was the first time I heard a song someone made about a dance. It’s inspired by a guy called Bogle, who created this strange and crazy dance, that’s influenced our genre massively. The first time I saw it, I was like, ‘What is everybody doing?’ The next thing I knew, it exploded,” Sean explained.

Bogle who died at age 40, was a founding member of Black Roses Crew of Lincoln Crescent (Roses Corner) in Kingston 13.   Among his other dance moves were World Dance for which Beenie Man created a hit song of the same name and Willie Bounce and Log On, for which Elephant Man also penned a Dancehall hit track.

Other dance moves created by Bogle were Mission Impossible, Urkle Dance, Wave, Pelper, LOY, Jerry Springer and Zip It.

The dancer, also known as Mr Wacky, was shot and killed at a gas station in St Andrew on January 20, 2005, shortly after leaving the Weddy Wednesdays dance at Stone Love headquarters in St Andrew in the wee hours of the morning.

Old Dog

As for Beenie Man’s Old Dog, which was released in 1996, the Dynamite artist said that it was the beat that captivated his attention.

“Riddim sections in Dancehall are what really get me going, and this one is prolific. It’s a really fun record that laughs at those who take issue with men having a lot of ladies: ‘Old dog like we, we haffi have dem inna twos and threes’”, the St. Andrew native explained of the Madhouse-produced song.

He also recounted an amusing situation where some music selectors appeared to take the song literally, and mimicked their canine friends.

“I remember being at a dance once when this song was played and the three selectors got down on all fours and started walking like a dog. It was a good likkle vibe,” he said.

Old Dog was co-written by legendary Dancehall producer Dave Kelly and his then protégé Cham who, among other things, penned the song’s hook.

Kelly had hand-picked General Degree as his first choice to voice the song, but the Manchester native said in an interview in November 2020, that he opted out, as he was uncomfortable with the lyrics as they were not in keeping with his modest image.