Reggae artist Sean Paul reminisces about his collaborations with music icons Will Smith and Beyoncé, marking significant milestones in his career.
Paul, known for his Grammy-winning reggae-dancehall hits, recalls the experience of working with Will Smith on the soundtrack for “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.” Smith, already on the track, invited Paul to contribute a verse, challenging him to channel his inner “bad boy” persona. “He sent me the song with him on it already and basically asked me to do a verse, and I went in,”I usually don’t do badman lyrics, I’m more for the ladies, but the movie is called Bad Boys.”
The resulting track, “Light Em Up,” blends energetic beats reminiscent of old-school hip-hop classics like Run DMC and LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells.” It was part of the soundtrack for “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which debuted strongly with $56.5 million at the box office.
Reflecting on his admiration for Will Smith, Paul recalls their early interactions, including meeting him during the early 2000s when he contributed to the soundtrack of the animated film “Shark Tale,” where Smith voiced the main character. Meeting Smith at his concert further solidified Paul’s respect for Smith’s influence on music and culture. “I look up to him in terms of being a mogul and a music person for a long time,” Paul acknowledges.
Despite his own extensive career and success with hits like “Get Busy” and “Gimme the Light,” Paul feels honored to collaborate with Smith nearly 25 years after releasing his debut album. “I was very happy to know that basically I’m still considered someone with hot music,” Paul remarks. “It’s awesome because this is a fickle business.”
In addition to his collaboration with Smith, Paul reflects on his past work with Beyoncé, particularly their chart-topping collaboration in 2003. These experiences highlight Paul’s versatility and enduring relevance in the music industry.
As Paul continues to navigate the music business, he remains grateful for the opportunities to collaborate with influential artists like Smith and Beyoncé, affirming his ongoing impact and passion for music.
When Paul first heard Smith’s verse on “Light Em Up,” he was astounded. “Everybody in the studio with me was like, ‘Yo, Will went in, bro.’ I replied, ‘Yeah, he did. He went hard.’ One of my favorite songs from him is ‘Summertime,’ which is more laid-back, but this one was just more hardcore, more hitting. And it was fitting for the movie.”
The success of Bad Boys 4 comes two years after Smith slapped Academy Awards presenter Chris Rock on live television. Paul says it’s “very awesome” that the actor is having a comeback.
“There are trying times in everybody’s life and I never write people off. I have friends who have done some crazy things at times — even my own pops, man — so when you give people the benefit of the doubt and give them a little space and they’re able to prove themselves and rise like the phoenix, that’s always an awesome thing,” he says.
Paul is accustomed to collaborating with legends, recalling his partnership with Beyoncé over 20 years ago when she started working on her solo debut album. Together, they released the reggae-flavored groove “Baby Boy,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine weeks.
“She performed with Destiny’s Child in Jamaica. They only had one song, and I was on that same show, so that’s where we all met. Knowing that she called me back a couple of years later for her first solo project was awesome. I was writing my part of the song in the backyard underneath a mango tree. While I’m writing my verse, a mango falls out of the tree and straight into my lap through the window of my car.
I thought, ‘That must mean this song is a sweet song,’” Paul recalls. “One thing I do recall about that time was being very proud that she used a dancehall-oriented track. At the time, people were urging me to do collaborations — I was working with Busta Rhymes, Clipse, and Blu Cantrell — and all of that was great, but they were more hip-hop oriented. Beyoncé stepping out on her own with a dancehall-style track made me feel that my music and genre were being accepted by a wider audience.
Coming from Texas, I know she’s heard a lot of dancehall growing up and was familiar with that whole vibe, so it made sense to me and made history for both of us.”
