Sean Paul Was “Really Hurt” By Shenseea’s ‘Ditching Dancehall For Pop’ Comments

Sean Paul says he was “really hurt” and “disappointed” when Shenseea declared that the five years she had given herself in Dancehall had come to an end, and that she was going to pursue Pop music, which is her first love.

In a recent interview with Vibe Magazine, the 2004 Grammy Award winner, in discussing his Light My Fire collab with Shenseea and Gwen Stefani, from his Scorcha album, segued into a conversation he had with the Alpha artist about her proclamations following the release of her Pop-Soca fusion song, Lick a collab with rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

“Shen is, to me, one of the most exciting things in Dancehall right now. And it’s so crazy, because she came and said something that disappointed me… She said on her [Instagram] Live that she was giving Dancehall five years, and she’s going to do her real love, which is Pop music. I called her a couple days later. I was like, ‘Yo, that kind of hurt me’. She’s like, ‘Well, me and you is always good.” And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but our culture needs our soldiers, and we have supported you up to this point, and we love you, Shen,” the Temperature artist stated.

“Because we’re at a point in Dancehall, where, in a few years, we could get pushed out of the way,” he added.

In further registering his dismay, Sean gave himself as an example of someone who would never disregard his roots.

“Me as a youngster, I would never diss a Shabba Ranks, I’d never diss a Super Cat, or somebody who played a role in me getting where I am. And, so, by her saying, “I just was dabbling in Dancehall,” it really hurt because she’s an awesome artist.  I understand she wants to express herself because she is that talented. But, yet, I want to hear some more of what she was spitting on Crocodile Teeth on [Funk] Flex. I think a lot of people want to hear that,” he explained.

Light My Fire is Sean Paul and Shenseea’s third collaboration.  They previously teamed up on Rolling in 2017, and on Lying If I Call It Love, which appeared her debut album.

In an Instagram Live in January, Shenseea had pointed out to her followers that she was not inextricably tied to Dancehall music alone and that her five years allotted to the genre was up.  The Mona High School past student had also explained that she was living up to her own expectations and the goal that she had set for herself, which was to become an “International Pop artiste within five years”.

“I am not going to be doing only Dancehall.   I can do a lot of other different genres. I am not gonna put myself in no box to please nobody,” she had declared.

“I told myself I’m gonna do Dancehall for five years.  I have given myself to Dancehall; I have given y’all hits upon hits, upon hits, upon hits, upon hits, for five years bro…,” Shenseea had said.

“So please don’t expect that from me.  I have been doing it for five years, because I told myself I am going to give myself to my Caribbean people strictly and my  country, for five years, just to show that I can do it.  I have done that!   That’s off my list,” she continued.

During the Instagram Live session, the Tie Me Up artist had said that dominating Dancehall was now a “been there and done that” thing for her and it was time to move up.

“Like my friends can tell you.  Everything that I have achieved, I tick them off, because I said I was gonna achieve dem.  I’ve ticked that off now.  Now is time to go to the next level…,” she had declared.

In late February, during a US Embassy panel discussion, Billboard journalist Patricia Meschino expressed concern about Shenseea’s crossover approach and the perception that she was dispensing with her Dancehall roots.

Meschino, who has been writing about Caribbean music and culture for the past three decades, referenced Bob Marley via his Could You Be Loved track as a prime example of a Jamaican, who on occasions added flavors of other genres to his music, but never strayed from his roots.

“Go back to Bob Marley.  He had the Could you be Loved, adding his little disco influences, but he never diverted from that path he was on, the kind of spirituality which is so intrinsic to what Reggae music is.  He never diverted from that path.  And he might add-in other things, but he knew who he was and what he wanted to project out there. If he had to take in other ingredients, he would but he would not compromise who he was,” she argued.

“Yes, Shenseea is a different kind of artist, but the bottom line is still to be true to who you are.  Be authentic, bring that to the world…,” she added.

“She should maintain her ‘Jamaicaness’, because that is what let that shine through.  Whatever experiment she goes into… let that shine through because that is what is so special.  Don’t let people be daunted by your talent.  Let them shine through.  Never dumb down for anybody,” Meschino said.