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Jamaican dancehall recording artist and producer Sean Paul is regarded as one of the genre\u2019s most prolific artists. <\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s singles \u201cGet Busy\u201d and \u201cTemperature\u201d topped the charts in the United States. <\/p>\n
With seven studio albums and one EP under his belt, most of them were nominated for the Grammy\u2019s Best Reggae Album, with Dutty Rock winning the prestigious award. <\/p>\n
Paul is featured in many chart-toppers singles, including \u201cBaby Boy\u201d with Beyonc\u00e9, \u201cRockabye\u201d by Clean Bandit, and \u201cCheap Thrills\u201d by Sia. <\/em><\/p>\nCannabis & Tech Today <\/em>chatted with the superstar in his studio in Kingston, Jamaica. <\/p>\nWe discussed his new album, Live N Livin<\/em>, COVID-19, and of course, cannabis.\u00a0<\/p>\nOn Music<\/h3>\n\n
Sean Paul. Photo courtesy of Sean Paul. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nCannabis & Tech Today<\/em>: Tell me about your new album.<\/strong><\/h4>\nSean Paul: My new album is called Live N Livin<\/em>. It\u2019s more of a Dutty Rock production thing, so basically more hardcore dancehall.<\/p>\n It features people like Buju Banton, Jr Gong, Busy Signal, a more established zone of what I call successful dancehall, and younger contingent; you know what I mean? <\/p>\n
People like Govana, Intence, Masicka, Skillibeing, Squash. So, it\u2019s an attempt to kind of show the unity in the dancehall community. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s an attempt to bring on board more collaborations and clashes. It\u2019s something I\u2019m very proud of. So, yeah. Good vibes! <\/p>\n
There\u2019s also more feel-good songs that people know me for on this album. There\u2019s also more meaningful songs, songs to combat social issues and the violence in society.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a more mature approach to a hardcore dancehall album.\u00a0<\/p>\n
C&T Today<\/em>: Have you found the advent of the pandemic has hindered or helped your creative process?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\nSP: At first, it threw me off, and I was in hiding for five months. I have Asthma. So, I was like, I\u2019m not going nowhere. I didn\u2019t leave the house for months. And during that time, I was building rhythms at home, and I couldn\u2019t find the words for anything. <\/p>\n
I went back to the studio, and then the lyrics just started to flow, and different ideas just started to come. I had a few songs here and there that I hadn\u2019t finished, like some collabs with Busy Signal and Govana, and I was like, let me try to complete these. <\/p>\n
What helped me was to call other people to help to finish them. Suku from Ward 21 and I did a brand-new song. But in general, that just kind of helped to spark up my creativity. <\/p>\n
And I had had quite a lot of songs done for an album with Island, which will come out sometime over the summer. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve dropped the first single for that one, and it\u2019s called SCORCHA, which is the title track of the album. As SCORCHA is a really \u2026 I would say it\u2019s a vibes tune, you know, a fire tune that me have.<\/p>\n
So, there\u2019s two albums, Live N Livin<\/em> was the first, and it came out on March 12th. And then, the second album is called SCORCHA<\/em>, and it\u2019s more internationally oriented, I would say, production-wise. <\/p>\nPeople like Sia and Ty Dollar Sign are on the album. Gwen Stefani, Shenseea, are in one song. So, it\u2019s back to what my younger crowd would appreciate and like.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But these two projects, I really love. I think that they both reflect parts of me that just want to be heard. So, the hardcore dancehall part, and then I try to keep up with what\u2019s going on internationally. <\/p>\n
Both have very good feel-good songs and some meaningful songs, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
C&T Today<\/em>: Well, you\u2019ve always been known for your crossover appeal and for collaborating with a plethora of artists. When you worked on these collaborations, did you have to go into the studio separately or at different times? How did you coordinate the logistics of everyone being on lockdown and making music?<\/strong><\/h4>\nSP: People came to the studio, mainly for Live N Livin<\/em>, or I went to theirs. Like Buju Banton, I went to his studio.<\/p>\n I recorded the song with Jr Gong before the pandemic, but we fixed up the rhythm after that. We did a lot production-wise with that. <\/p>\n
So, he came to Jamaica and did it at the studio with me. Assassin did his verse from his studio and sent it to me. So, you know there\u2019s a little bit of both, but most of the people came to my studio for that album.<\/p>\n
On COVID<\/h3>\nC&T Today<\/em>: Was there a lot of OCD hand washing and sanitizing of microphones and other gear?<\/strong><\/h4>\nSP: Yeah! Crazy. You know me, I\u2019m very, very\u2026 kind of like\u2026 wayacallit?<\/p>\n
C&T Today<\/em>: Germophobic?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\nSP: Yeah! [laughs] Germophobic! Shaggy was laughing at me on the plane coming back from Australia. Both of us were touring over there. And two cases had hit Australia. That was last March. <\/p>\n
And I was wearing my mask, and I was spraying alcohol everywhere. And he was like, [imitating Shaggy] \u201cYo! You\u2019re making everywhere smell like a hospital! Hahahaha!\u201d<\/p>\n
He was laughing at me, and he was, like, \u201cYo! What are you doing wearing a mask this whole time?\u201d I wore it for like 22 hours to go from Australia to South Africa, take another plane to England, and then take another plane home. <\/p>\n
So, I was freaking out and the same thing when we got to the studio. I was like, \u201cNo one is allowed to come here!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We put up hand sanitizers on the wall. We put up posters. Like, \u201cYo! Anybody coming in here, you\u2019re going to get your temperature checked. You\u2019re going to have to clean your hands,\u201d and whatnot. <\/p>\n
Those protocols are still in the studio, but I think we\u2019ve become a lot more, I wouldn\u2019t say lax, but a lot more used to the fact. So, yeah, it\u2019s been crazy. <\/p>\n
My studio is tiny, so I do get panic attacks when a lot of people come there. I like to go outside and sit down, then everybody else is like, \u201cWhere you at?\u201d I\u2019m smoking ganja under the tree, don\u2019t worry. \u03d6<\/p>\n
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