Sean Paul and Beyoncé may have ruled the charts together, but their friendship dates back to a time when both were just emerging stars. The Jamaican dancehall sensation recently shared how their paths first crossed, long before they made global waves with their 2003 hit “Baby Boy.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sean Paul reminisced about the early days of their careers. “She opened on a show here in Jamaica with Destiny’s Child. They only had one song, and I was on that same show, so that’s where we all met,” he revealed. “Knowing that she called me back a couple of years later for her first solo project was awesome.”
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Reflecting on their chart-topping collaboration, Sean Paul shared a memorable moment from the song’s creation. “I was writing my part of the song in the back of my house underneath a mango tree. And while I’m writing my verse, a mango falls out the tree and straight through the window of my car into my lap. I thought, ‘That must mean this song is sweet.’”
Sean Paul also took a moment to highlight Beyoncé’s influence and the significance of their collaboration. “I was proud that she used a dancehall-oriented track. At the time, I was doing collabs with hip-hop artists like Busta Rhymes and Clipse, but this was different. She was stepping out on her own, and it really made me feel that dancehall was being embraced.”
Reflecting on Beyoncé’s roots, Sean Paul added, “Coming from Texas, I know she grew up hearing a lot of dancehall, so it made sense to her. Together, we made history.”
At the time, there were rumors that they had a relationship, which the dancehall icon said affected their working relationship. In an interview with The Daily Beast in 2022 when asked to confirm if the relationship was ever romantic, Paul said, “Nah! I wish I did! She’s beautiful.”
He shared that because of the rumors they only performed live three times.
