Jamaica’s Sean Paul returns to the dancehall throne, and expectations are excessive with A-list featured friends on the album representing numerous aspects of the music business. Paul dropped his eighth full-length studio album and Island Data debut, Scorcha, on Could 27.
Scorcha supplies a celebration blueprint for the weekend, led by the one “Gentle My Fireplace” with Gwen Stefani and Shenseea. The brand new album additionally contains beforehand launched songs “Scorcha,” “Solely Fanz” (ft. Ty Dolla $ign), “Dynamite” (ft. Sia), “How We Do It” (ft. Pia Mia), and “No Worry” (ft. Damian Marley and Nicky Jam).
Paul lately earned a Grammy Award nomination for Greatest Reggae Album for his seventh studio album Dwell N Livin, which was launched final 12 months, after successful a Grammy Award for Dutty Rock in 2013. Whereas Dwell N Livin was extra of straight heavy dancehall, he’s honing in on a membership vibe this time round.
Excessive Occasions caught up with Paul inside Fingerprints Music, situated on 420 East 4th Road in Lengthy Seaside, California, earlier than his efficiency later that evening at The Novo in downtown Los Angeles.
“It’s probably not a system,” Paul informed Excessive Occasions, referring to his strategies within the studio. “It’s simply what feels good on the time. Final 12 months was extra hardcore danchall feeling, and this 12 months’s extra of a scotch feeling, you realize what I imply. I’m feeling to the touch the golf equipment with it, but additionally there’s some development on the album on some introspective songs. I feel folks ought to get pleasure from it, bro.”
He’s upping the ante with Pia Mia and Stefani to spice issues up. “How We Do It” showcases Pia Mia’s expertise with a membership banger and a watery music video to go together with it. In “Gentle my Fireplace” Stefani asks to “take me larger,” boosted with Shenseea’s vocals, offering a pleasant dancehall taste.
“An entirely good manufacturing—a whole lot of dope artists on there,” Paul stated. “From Sia to Pia Mia, Gwen Stefani to Shenseea, Nicky Jam, Stylo G, and Jada Kingdom, Tove Lo, Ty Dolla $ign. Plenty of nice performances on there. It’s additionally simply a whole lot of vitality. what I imply.”
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Paul witnessed the illicit facet of hashish inside his family early on. His father was deported from the U.S. after crashing a cannabis cargo plane in the Everglades in 1982—one of many methods Excessive Occasions founder Tom Forçade made cash earlier than going into publishing.
These days, licensed distributors are commonplace. On the authorized facet, Paul warned that typical dispensary weed “tastes like cardboard.” That’s why he’s very selective concerning the dispensaries he goes to, together with Lemonnade (a Cookies dispensary model).
“So what me a smoke ‘pon?!” Paul requested with an enormous grin as he rubbed his fingers collectively. “Each’ting from a model of what Lemonnade gave me. Massive up Steve Lobell. In addition to KushCo. and all of dem folks. They deal with me good round right here. Me and dem attempt to develop a pressure. Proper now they’ve one thing referred to as White Truffle OG. Which is dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous smelly.”
“That’s what I’m blazing on,” Paul stated.
Excessive Occasions lately interviewed Lobell contained in the Lemonnade Van Nuys location. Lobell has been a music govt for over 35 years, working with all people in hip-hop and associated genres from Run-D.M.C., Bone Thugs-n-Concord, Nipsey Hussle, Three 6 Mafia, Eazy-E, The Outlaws, Fats Joe, Massive Pun, and so forth. Lobell launched Lemonnade with Berner, which falls underneath the Cookies model.
If you happen to’re curious concerning the pressure, White Truffle OG appeared lately on Instagram from accounts like Michigan-based Frost Farms, and it seems to have made its method to California.
Be sure you check out Scorcha via Island Records and see how Paul is taking up the golf equipment as soon as once more.