Sean Paul Interview in Berlin,13.09.05

Was ging in den letzten 2-3 Jahren, seit dem Release der LP „Dutty Rock“?

„Ok, 2 years now. I had about 5 singles on the album „Dutty Rock“, it took about 2 years to promote those 5 singles. Then one more year since that, I've been travelling the world: I've been to places like Japan, Australia, Madagaskar.....

Those things took about 6 months, and after that 6 months I stayed in Jamaica for 6 months to finish the album. So basically, that's 3 years since the last album. That's what I've been doing, I've been travelling, still living outta three bag (?) and doing everything that way, man. And we took a little time, 6 months and we never left Jamaica, we stayed in Jamaica to do the album.“

Zufrieden damit, wie es war?

„I mean the album did well, as I said thanks to the Father and the fans and I just want to express that, you know. I give thanks because I'm able to parttake in my culture at home in Jamaica and to take it to the rest of the world and that's a very proud feeling. So I have to give thanks to the people who love it!“

Einige Worte zum neuen Album, Titel, Konzept, Inhalte, etc.

„Well, the album is called „The Trinity“ because of a couple of different reasons:

It was all produced in Jamaica which they call the '3. world'.

It has taken about 3 years since the last one dropped.

And it's my third album.

The album has three moods:

One is partytracks like „Get Busy“ and „Gimme The Light“. You can look out for songs, as I said, we be burning is the first partytrack, you have a next one called „Break Out“, you have a next one called „Sen It On“, you have a next one called „Give It Up To Me“, you have some tune called „Temperature“ and „Straight Up, Right Up“- a lot of partytracks, so that's the main theme.

The other theme is where I talk to the critics and I'm telling them that I've been all over the world and I've done reggae music and dancehall music, I've helped to parttake in my culture and take to the next side of the earth, so I've helped to make dancehall music more important and more popular throughout the world,so I've changed the game and that's one of the songs I have.

Third mood, after the second mood there, is more sad and sumber (?): I lost a friend earlier this year and entire Jamaica also had to deal with loss on a whole. A lot of people losing their lives for violent reasons and for not good reasons though.

Erfolgsdruck beim neuen Album?

„Dealing with the critics, the people who ask a lot of questions like why I take so long and is there any pressure and that stuff, and I say to them: the pressure, you know, the pressure is when I've been in prep school and I had to deliver a lot of work to the teacher, also the pressure is swimming 8000m a day in Jamaica when I was a school kid, trying to do better times at different things there, you know. Also, I felt pressure in Jamaica in the beginning, when I  was trying to do my album, my first work, my first songs, and Jamaica has a big tradition of music, good musicians, so I just want to make sure I represent it properly – so that time was big pressure!

Now I  feel a sense of responsibility to take reggae music all over the world. I have a vibe like I'm saying in the song called „The Trinity“, I'm saying: 'My main aim is maintain, my main aim is to stay sane, I never did like fame!'

I just like making the music basically, you know. It doesn't matter what you say on me or what not. That doesn't matter to me. If I lose it today, that's no big deal. If I lose the popularity of people I still feel comfortable with myself and I still love to write music and that's what's important to me.“

1.Single „We Be Burning“ - warum 2 Versionen mit verschiedenen Lyrics?

„Well, because I did write the tune, I thought it was just a album track on the album. And I wrote the tune last November, no I wrote it earlier than that still, but it became big in Jamaica  in November/December 2004 and then by January 2005, I would say, it became big in Miami. And Miami start exploding the song, and by March they said to me: 'could you change the word legalize it? Because it's a big song about legalizing weed, and I said: 'Why?' And they said: 'Well, the people on the television might not like it.'

So I said:' Alright. But if I change the word, the underground heads, the people who like the weed and agree that it should be legalized, they would be upset!They would say: what's the point in the whole song is to legalize weed and you change that word.'

So I didn't change the one word, I said, I do something special for you. So I write a whole new song and the song says: 'Yeah, we be burning, dollars turning'. I mean I'm making money and I'm living my life partying with the ladies clubbing, doing my thing, because that's what we have to do sometimes to release sometimes in this crazy world. So that's what the song is about. To different versions, but same banging tune, you know!“

Produzenten, die am neuen Album mitgewirkt haben

„Well in Jamaica now there is a new synergy of younger producers. So that's why I had to work with them because I feel they are carrying on with the real dancehall right now. Don Corleon produced many hits with Sizzla, and Jah Cure and people like Elephant Man, you know, big hits on the billboard charts. So you know the vibe is just new energy of the younger kids. I sold 5 million records all over the world and when I look back at it, I say: 'why should I do back the say album as „Dutty Rock“?' I'm supposed to show growth and give the people a fresh drink of water. You cannot drink the sweet drink everyday – it will fuck you up!“

Gastfeatures

„The new kids from Jamaica: featuring people like Wayne Marshall, nuff talented songwriter and stage entertainer himself. People like Tami Chynn. She just busted in Jamaica a year and half ago and she's blowing up the place. A very sexy, talented, beautiful young lady and she basically just got signed to Universal, so we're looking forward to big things from her. When you look now, you have people like Dutty Cup Crew on it featured, which is my own crew, people who inspire me everyday: Kid Kurrupt and Loogaman. Yeah, we lock it like that, you know. We worked with Nina Sky because they're in the dancehall world.

But everything else, all the tracks were produced in Jamaica, so I feel good about it. New energy, new synergy, „The Trinity“, locking and stocking, gyal dem seh dem bucking, yu understand?“

Playahataz?

„People just feel like: you burst now, so you're different!And I don't understand that. That means that they want to remain underground – there's always gonna be a underground, but also my music is popular all over the world right now. So I don't understand that vibe now, that proves to me that people fickle. But I know that I cannot have everybody love my music and love my vibe at the same time, so as usual as before I go on doing my music and give thanks!“

Gefahr, dem Hype zu verfallen, sich als Mensch zu verändern?

„Yeah, but you know I have my family around me and my bredrins and my friends and we always keep it real. We swear and cuss at each other everyday: 'yeah, yu ah pussyhole – hey, yu ah pussyhole, too!'

So you can remember who you are and where you're coming from. I'm not saying that you must argue to remember who you are, but it's one of the things that make me know they want to keep it real with me.“

15.09.05, Michael Berth (JAMaican Vibez, JAM FM), michael.berth@jamfm.de