Mr. Vegas Explains The Reason For 20-Year-Old Fallout With Sean Paul

Dancehall artists Mr. Vegas and Sean Paul had one of the biggest records at the turn of the new millennium, but that same record, Hot Gal Today, remains a symbol of their over two-decade-old fallout. Vegas claims all was well between the two artists until VP Records intercepted with “bad vibes” and denied him of his writer’s credit on the packaging of the song.

But VP Records tells a different narrative.  We reached out to the record label for comment on Vegas’ recent claims during an interview with the Entertainment Report Podcast earlier this week, and they said “our single by Sean Paul ‘Hot Gal Today (feat. Mr. Vegas)’, was a re-packaging of the Vegas & Sean Paul single ‘Haffi Get Di Gal Deh Yeah.’ We repackaged the song for the international market.”

Mr. Vegas said it all started when he broke unto the American music scene with the 1998 hit Heads High. Vegas was signed to UK’s Greensleeves Records at the time and capitalized off the record’s success with a follow-up album featuring the single. To his surprise, he said VP Records had pressed an album of their own though he had no contract with the company.

“I told them I was gonna sue dem if dem release the album,” he recalled.  The label terminated the project after having pressed hundreds of records ready for distribution, according to Vegas.

Fast-forward to the next year, Vegas says he was at producer Jeremy Harding’s studio one night when he approached Sean Paul about a song idea. They wrote the track which became Hot Gal Today, and recorded it for Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson on the Street Sweeper Riddim.

The music video followed and the men were soon doing shows and tours together off the song’s success.

Sean Paul secured a deal with VP Records, and according to Vegas, the record label wanted a hot record for Paul’s album, understandably Hot Gal Today.

“Greensleeves owned the master for that song so Steely called me and said he wanted me to sing over the song on the Punany Riddim so I said to him, ‘If I’m gonna do it you have to give it to me for my album’… Him seh ‘Yeah man’…but I did not know when I did the song over I changed the master to a new master so when I recorded the song they sent it off to VP I guess to be Sean Paul’s single.”

He said he realized the author adjustment when he saw Sean Paul at the airport.

“He showed me the 12-inch and when I looked at it said ‘Hot Gal Today, Sean Paul’ so I said, ‘Where’s my name?’ and him grab it back from me and seh ‘Yow, blow wow star’. I was like mi nuh understand why dem left me off a di record so mi seh, ‘Mi voice still deh pon it?’ and him seh ‘Yes’.”

He deduced that VP Records was making him pay for scrapping their investment on the 1998 album. “I think some form of vibe was carrying from there so when I re-recorded the song (Hot Gal Today) and go put it out they took off my name,” he said.

“I called Chris Chin and seh ‘Yuh cya use my vocals, you took off my name but yuh cya use my vocals. Unno use Sean Paul part alone. As a matter of fact, a me and him write it so weh unno a go do?’. Mi seh ‘Alright, if unno a go release it mi want it fi my album too’. Dem seh dem cya gi mi it so a deh so the problem start…”

It seemed Paul was still trying to ensure Vegas was credited as he called him to appear in the music video.   “Dem do di video, Sean Paul promise seh him a go call, mi nuh hear from Sean Paul. Mi a call him and somebody cut off the phone… When mi call back the phone dead so mi realise seh mi get punked so mi start rebel… people bun mi out fi it, seh mi badmind.”

Reflecting on the period, Vegas’ biggest regret is disrespecting Harding, who was also working with Paul at the time.

“One night we were quarreling about the situation, I think we were at The Pegasus or Hilton Hotel and Jeremy Harding was there… He said something about ‘we don’t need Vegas on the record, can tek him off’ or something like that but I was really upset… I don’t remember if I told him about his mother or I called him a p-word. That was not good…nuh matter the circumstances. Dah man deh really mek somebody weh the world know. Dat a something weh mi regret inna life, di night when mi seh dat to Jeremy Harding. I think that further strained the relationship but I did see it as him was part of the sellout… A fi him studio we write the record together…so mi did feel kinda betrayed.”

Harding produced his first hit song, Nike Air, released in 1997.