Sean Paul Says Drake, Justin Bieber and Major Lazer "Don't Necessarily Understand" Dancehall

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Sep 6, 2016

A rampant musical trend in 2016 so far is the influence of dancehall on mainstream pop music. Hitmakers such as Drake and Justin Bieber owe a lot to the style, though Sean Paul questions whether or not they truly understand the music's roots when reinterpreting it.

In an interview with the Guardian, Paul explained that those who are more accustomed to traditional dancehall music don't take kindly to music's biggest stars cashing in on the style.

"It is a sore point when people like Drake or Bieber or other artists come and do dancehall-orientated music but don't credit where dancehall came from and they don't necessarily understand it," he said. "A lot of people get upset, they get sour. And I know artists back in Jamaica that don't like Major Lazer because they think they do the same thing that Drake and Kanye did—they take and take and don't credit."

"I love some of his songs," Paul added on the 6 God. "But I don't think he's the best rapper."

Paul's sophomore LP Dutty Rock was instrumental in first bringing dancehall to the masses in 2002, though the genre began to lose steam in North America in the coming years. Along with its resurgence, the artist has set his sights on a new record as well.

"Dancehall is back but this time it's also infused with Afrobeat, with hip-hop, with trap, and that's fine with me," he explained. "Sure, I would like what we do in Jamaica, that authentic dancehall, to be on top, but it simply isn't. So I want this album to bridge that gap."

Sean Paul's last LP was 2014's Full Frequency. Recently, he topped the charts with a feature on Sia's "Cheap Thrills," while also collaborating with Toronto MC Tory Lanez on a remix to the latter's "Luv."

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