The Emperor's Fire: Sean Paul Returns to the Americal Spotlight with Imperial Blaze

By Ronda Racha Penrice

To the delight of his many fans, not to mention the wounded music industry, Sean Paul has returned with his new album, Imperial Blaze. His first since 2005's platinum-selling The Trinity, which spawned the number one hit "Temperature" and the Top 10 single, "We Be Burnin", Imperial Blaze is already finding some love for "So Fine" and "Lace It." As the many fans disappointed over his canceled Wingate Park appearance in Brooklyn for the Martin Luther King, Jr. music series in August made clear, Sean Paul was certainly missed. But that's not just coincidence.

"I think pop culture and the pop world and the whole international circles of music, I always think we gone remember each other when we don't see each other," he says in his spicy patois in between promotional appearances for Imperial Blaze.

First week sales, while not stellar, weren't an immediate cause for concern. After all, it's taken some time for American audiences to catch on to his riddims. That was certainly the case for Paul's star-turning second album Dutty Rock, released in late 2002, and The Trinity. "Temperature", which went on to hit number one, for example, wasn't an immediate success out the gate either, even though 2001's "Gimme the Light" was an instant international smash.

Don't look to Sean Paul to explain this phenomenon. "I don't know why that happens," he says. "I stay hot all the time and my records are hot all the time. . . .I think over here people look at me as a one-hit [wonder] but they better wake up."

How can they not? In the 21st century, Paul's definitely been one of the most successful urban musical imports to hit this country. Bob Marley remains the musical king of Jamaica but, in the 1990s, Shabba Ranks, Maxi Priest, Shaggy, Buju Banton, Bennie Man, Super Cat and a number of others broke important ground. Since then, however, only Sean Paul has captured the mainstream ring. His elevated status since his first album Stage One was released in 2000 hasn't shielded him from criticism, especially from some dancehall purists. Paul can't hear their criticism above his own though.

"I know that there's a lot of haters, there's a lot of people that hate," he explains, "but, basically, I'm not in competition with anybody who thinks they're in competition with me. I've always been in competition with myself so I don't need anybody to hate on me; I already come with my own hate. I hate how I did this show or I hate how I did this song. [I know] I need to improve and I need to get better."

Interviews he's granted in between the release of The Trinity and Imperial Blaze suggested that Paul would return with a more socially conscious album. Imperial Blaze, to the dismay of some, is not quite that. Instead, it continues the movement of light, bouncy fare, at least lyrically, although there are a few exceptions. "Straight From My Heart", a tribute to his mother produced by Delano Thomas, who also produced "We Be Burnin" for Paul, is reminiscent of Tupac's "Dear Mama" and Kanye West's "Hey Mama". Breaking from the club bangers he is known for, "Straight From My Heart" will certainly enhance his reputation among his female fans. While the lyrics are not overly complex, Paul's sincerity and sensitivity shine through plus the "straight from my heart" refrain is infectiously catchy.

Musically, Imperial Blaze won't disappoint. Sticking to the riddims that remain largely unfamiliar to the United States but hugely popular in his native Jamaica, Paul rides the beats expertly. His delivery is pretty sharp, cutting and punching at the right pitch, especially on the hooks that really sell a song these days. There are nineteen full tracks in all and, just as Dutty Rock benefited from the stellar production of relative newcomers (at least to the U.S.) like Troyton, the producer behind "Gimme the Light", and Steven "Lenky" Marsden, who co-wrote and produced "Get Busy", half of the tracks on Imperial Blaze, including standouts "Lace It" and "So Fine", are produced by 19-year-old wunderkind Stephen "Di Genius" McGregor, son of veteran Jamaican music artist Freddie McGregor. 

Ultimately, Paul does what he does best, marrying enough of Jamaica's underground dancehall with a universal pop sound that appeals to almost everybody. "I think that music is supposed to bring the world together and I'm assigned to rock that," he explains.  As an artist, Paul wants to use music to bring "positive things to life" For him, music is "here to uplift; it's here to, on a rainy day, bring a silver cloud. [Music] is very important to me and I think people need to pay more attention," he says, implying that some musical artists have lost their way.

Given Jamaica's reputation for lighting up, it's easy to misconstrue the album's title. "The album's title means, to me, the king's fire. I'm not the king. I'm the king's fire, I'm the energy," he clarifies. "If you want to get wit me, you got to be a king or queen in your own right.  So Imperial Blaze, to me," he continues, "is like a blessing from God. It's like everybody got a calling, in their own right, and the energy that they move, what they known for, what makes people kind of want to look at them, is the fire so "imperial blaze" is the king's fire. And the king's fire is my music. My "imperial blaze" is my music."

And so far, it's a fire that's blazed Sean Paul to the top of the charts.