Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD turns 49 on Sunday, January 09, and tributes are pouring in from his peers in dancehall including Shaggy, Spice, Beenie Man, and more.
With a year before reaching half a century, Sean Paul’s name is still synonymous with fun, positive attitude, and success even across multiple genres such as dancehall, reggae, pop, and Latin. His musical talent has been the backbone and the inspiration behind the careers of many Jamaican entertainers looking to enjoy the same international success he has had over the years, with more than two decades under his belt as an entertainer.
Sean Paul likes to refer to himself as Dutty Paul has also collaborated with many of the greats to produce highly infectious hits. Think Beyonce, Blu Cantrell, Sia, Keri Hilson, Kelly Rowland, Akon, R. Kelly, Clean Bandit, Dua Lipa, Shaggy, Spice, among others who have had the pleasure of collaborating. No wonder the entertainer was flushed with congratulations and well wishes as he rang in his 49th birthday earlier today.
The blessings came flowing on Instagram from numerous media outlets as well as previously mentioned collaborators. The official page for the Welcome To Jamrock Cruise formed by Damion Marley wrote, “Earthstrong Blessings,” Renaissance Sound System selector Jazzy T wrote, “My Family From Day On. Happy G Day,” The Junior Rodigan Show shared, “Massive Birthday Salute Sean Paul The Legend. Making Massive Hits Since 98.”
Demarco, who previously cited Sean Paul as a major inspiration, also had much love for the entertainer. “Dem man de inspire me because the way how him do the dancehall thing him do it pon another level,” he said while speaking to Urban Islandz earlier last year.
The birthday tribute saw him sharing an image of Sean chilling at his own Dutty Rock studio along with this caption of gratitude. “HAPPY STRONG MI BOSS?? @duttypaul BLESSINGS PON BLESSINGS MORE LIFE AND PROSPERITY, HEALTH, STRENGTH, WEALTH AND WISDOM!!! CONTINUE TO DO THE GREAT WORK AND WAVE THE [Jamaican] FLAG #seanpaul.”
Original Jamcian Bad Gyal Ce’Cile also had a mouthful to convey about the entertainer with whom she previously collaborated during the early 2000s on this smash hit “Can You Do The Work.” She took time to explain the usual calm demeanor of a man who has single handily pushed Jamaican musical products to a wider audience while not asking for much recognition in return.
“Happy bday to one of the big dons in this game. This man has quietly and humbly brought dancehall, reggae and Jamaican culture to such a wide audience. He has had such an impact globally and has never clamored for the attention and recognition He rightfully deserves. He has done this for over 20 years and continues to do so,” she wrote. The “Hot Like We” singer touched on Sean’s continued dominance as he secures yet another Grammy nomination for the 2022 Award Show, which has been pushed back further this year as a result of Covid-19. His feature-laden album Live N Livin goes up against the likes of Etana with Pamoja, Spice with 10, Jesse Royal with his project Royal, Gramps Morgan with Positive Vibration, and reggae band SOJA with Beauty in the Silence.
If Live N Livin does cop the prestigious award, over 20 dancehall entertainers, many of whom have never been selected among of pool of possible nominees stand the chance of being branded as Grammy recording entertainers. According to the official Grammy website, Sean Paul has since won 1 Grammy Award and has been nominated for a total of 9.
Fellow Grammy nominee Spice also shared her love and respect for the man who helped to propel two of her latest hits; “Stylo G’s “Dumplin'” and “Go Down Deh,” which also features Shaggy.
“Happy birthday @duttypaul I’m grateful to have recorded two Major Hit songs with you. Thank you for paving the way for me, my Dancehall Legend Big up on your strong,” she penned along with a flurry of her infamous blue hearts.
The Queen of Dancehall also did her best to ensure Sean Paul would be feeling the love later on tonight when she urged Paul’s wife and her friend Jodi Stewart-Henriques to “Gwaaaaan Real Bad.”
Other entertainers who gave shoutouts include Bugle, Charly Black, Bling Dawg, Future Fambo, Jesse Royal, Beenie Man, and Mr. Vegas, who referred to Paul as “the King of Dancehall.” When challenged in the comments, Mr. Vegas highlighted that the numbers speak for themselves, with Paul still hitting on hardcore dancehall riddims.
“Sean Paul is the only artiste in the history of dancehall to hit billboard with hardcore dancehall riddims: Temperature, Gi Mi A Light, Get Busy, Give it up to me, Baby boy, I’m still in love, Hot Gal Today. Give the man his props and stop talking bullcr*p!” He urged.
Paul is still dominating sales charts even in an era where streaming is king. The deejay managed to rake in 625M stream on Spotify in 2020. Those numbers were followed by Popcaan with 148.7 million streams and Vybz Kartel with 130.3 million. The deejay’s 2021 Spotify numbers have not been shared, but he continues to be the top dancehall artiste on the streaming service. One recent example is his track “No Lies,” featuring Dua Lipa, which is quickly gunning for 1 Billion views on Youtube.
Sean Paul is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicians to have graced this planet, and Urban Islandz would also like to take this time to shout out the legend.
