Dancehall Reggae Superstar Sean Paul Joins Atlantic Via New Deal With VP Records.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 2002

Jamaican reggae's hottest act, Sean Paul, has joined the Atlantic Records roster, following a three-year run of hit crossover singles and mounting mainstream media attention.

His current single, "Gimme The Light," is developing into the biggest U.S. breakthrough ever for reggae's influential hip-hop-flavored dancehall form.

Sean's second album, Dutty Rock, scheduled for release on November 12, is the first to be released via a long-term strategic agreement linking Atlantic and VP for the worldwide marketing, promotion, and distribution of VP recordings to the mainstream urban and pop audience.

Several tracks included on Dutty Rock have already been club and radio hits in Jamaica, New York, London, and elsewhere. They include: "Punkie," reprised in a Spanish version to salute Sean's many Latin American fans, the electro-Latin-flavored "Like Glue," and "Can You Do The Work," featuring singer Ce'cile, on the "Liquid" rhythm, the most popular new dancehall sound of the past year. Another album highlight, "I'm Still In Love With You," a duet with Sasha, is currently the Number One record on the reggae charts in New York, Miami, London, and Jamaica.

While all of the above were substantial hits, "Gimme The Light" has been nothing less than a self-propelling phenomenon, and is now set to become the champion crossover record of all time in the true dancehall vein, undiluted by outside influences. At this writing, "Gimme The Light" has bulleted into the top 5 on Billboard's "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles" chart and into the top 20 on the magazine's pop "Hot 100." The video clip, directed by Little x, is already in heavy rotation on BET, MTV, and MTV2.

Atlantic Co-President Craig Kallman commented: "Sean Paul is a turning-point artist for dancehall reggae, and for Atlantic Records. Sean, his producers -- including Jeremy Harding, Black Shadow, and Steely & Clevie -- and VP Records have done outstanding groundwork, both musically and commercially. I'm pleased that Atlantic is now running with Sean and his team at their moment of take-off. We know that Sean will be a decisive influence, not only as a hitmaker, but as the artist who will bring the awareness, understanding, and popularity of dancehall to the mainstream for good."

Sean Paul's career has been notable for his quick conquest of career milestones. Born in January 1975, Sean made his own demos and played local parties while studying hotel management at Jamaica's University of Technology and working his first jobs as a chef and a bank teller.

In 1995, Sean began recording professionally, establishing his name in Jamaica, the Caribbean and America's hip-hop club scene. His career hit overdrive in 2000, when he turned in two simultaneous radio smashes, "Deport Them" and "Hot Gal Today." With them, Sean had the unique distinction of being the first reggae artist with two dancehall singles from the same album on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart.. Sean's first VP album, Stage One, was VP Records' best-selling single artist album in its recent history, topping the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, and ranking as No. 4 reggae album of the year. "Hot Gal Today" was later featured on the movie soundtrack of Shaft. Sean was recently named Best Reggae Artist of the Year at the MOBO Awards in London.

As he performed at radio-sponsored summer jam concerts all over the U.S., Sean's reputation in the American hip-hop and R&B community exploded, leading to collaborations with Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, DMX, Tweet, The Neptunes, Clipse, Mya, Tony Touch, and Rahzel of the Roots, among others. "A lot of hip-hop artists have been linked to dancehall," Sean told the New York Times, in a business-section article that examined VP's market-leading position in dancehall music, and Sean's own meteoric rise in the mainstream media. "It always has been, and now people can see for themselves."