SEAN PAUL, of hot producing duo The YoungBloodZ, talks about running their own record label and how they get their groove on.
By Jin Moon
As a youngster, Sean Paul of the hot Atlanta outfit, YoungBloodZ, was surrounded by music. His mother had her own production team, and she encouraged Sean Paul to start rapping at an early age.
"At the time, they were helping me out with my lyrics and everything. My mama used to put me in the studio around that time. Actually, some days right out of school, I used to go right to the studio and put in work," he said.
He really got inspired to become a performer after watching an MC Hammer concert. "That's when MC Hammer was real hot. He had a big concert with a 100-man crew. He put on a great show, and ever since then I just wanted to be an entertainer and get my word out there."
In middle school, he befriended his fellow YoungBloodZ member, J-Bo, and the two hit it off as friends and performers. In 1998, the duo got their first major break with LaFace Records. They performed for L.A. Reid, who subsequently signed them.
"Since then, we been doing our music on the down-low, working beats ourselves because J-Bo was also a producer," said Sean Paul. "We clicked up with some other cats in Atlanta to form the Attic Crew - all the guys from the east side of Atlanta to the west side and south side, we all came together in this place called 105 Creel Road. It was nothing but two bedrooms - studio equipment in one room and a mattress in the other room."
Since then YoungBloodZ have had considerable success, especially with their hit single, "Damn!," which features Lil' Jon. The song won at both the 2005 ASCAP Pop and R&S Awards. The duo is also catching a lot of buzz for their new single, "Presidential," to which Lil' Jon also contributed.
These days, Sean Paul and J-Bo are busy preparing for the release of their third full length album, Everybody Know Me, on Jive Records, and running their own record label, YBZ Records. The two also own a couple of restaurants in Atlanta. Playback recently caught up with Sean Paul to chat about all their entrepreneurial efforts and what to expect on the next YoungBloodZ album.
You've been rapping with J-Bo in YoungBloodZ for almost a decade now. How do you think you two have grown over the years?
We've grown in a couple of different ways. As far as the music and production side, we've gotten better in that area. We know the difference between a radio song and just a song that we like. But we've also grown in learning the business side of music. At the same time, we still want to do the music we love and feel in our hearts, but we try and mix it up a little bit�
We have YBZ Records now and have learned a lot about how to make money. Also we've collaborated with a lot of cats now. We've got top producers like Scott Storch, Jazze Pha and Mannie Fresh. We reached out to a couple of people with this album, and hopefully it's helped.
I read that you met Scott Storch at the 2005 ASCAP Pop Awards. What song did you guys work together on?
I've always wanted to work with Scott Storch. He makes hit records, so that's exactly why I wanted to work with him. He did a song called "Chop, Chop" for us. It's basically telling everyone that the YoungBloodZ are back again - chop, chop, we back on the block. We got it ready for you, straight out of the pipe.
You also worked again with Lil' Jon on this album. What song did he work on?
We're family so we work together all the time, but Jon's got a busy schedule. The YoungBloodZ got a pretty busy schedule. So, when we can catch each other, that's when we do work. He did one track for us - our first single, "Presidential."
Basically we called our album, Everybody Know Me, to let people know we've been here since '99. And we've had a chance to work, meet and perform with a lot of people. And doing "Presidential" is basically a statement saying that YoungBloodZ are going to do it even bigger this time. We told everybody we're doing it presidential these days, like George Bush.
Can you tell me a little bit about how a song comes together for YoungBloodZ?
Well, basically it starts with the 808 By the high hat and kick drum. That's how you know what the clubs are going to do to your song. You got to get it jumping first. Once the track is down, the Attic Crew will fiddle round. We all sit around and see how everybody is reacting. That basically will give you a groove and your fuel to get started on the song.
You built a studio in J-Bo's house. Did that help ease the songwriting process?
Well, yeah, it did because you're in a comfortable place. It don't feel like you're at the office. You can just drag out your time and think and vibe a whole lot more. And we also did some work at Universal's studios.
What prompted you to start your own record label?
Major record labels are making plenty of money. At the end of the day, you got to add your math up and track a couple things to see what doesn't balance out and see what balances out. We know how to go make the money now. We know it's not just rapping on the microphones that makes the money or having a video on TV that makes you rich. We just wanted to get more into the business side and get more dollars for our product.
There are also a lot of guys who are waiting for their turn in this industry that nobody's heard of before - some of my homeboys, who are some of the best rappers I've heard. So it's my duty to get my fame and snatch up a situation for the rest of the guys that have been with me for a long time.
What's your biggest challenge as an artist? And what's your biggest challenge as owners of a record label?
My biggest challenge as an artist is to keep selling records and stay with the times. You get older every year. You got new young cats popping up every day that's ready to take your position. So you got to keep your ear to the streets. You got to stay focused and listen to the radio to see what's going on so you can compare your music and make sure you stay somewhere in between or on top.
How do you think that Atlanta has influenced you as like a songwriter-artist?
In '98 we were definitely rapping Atlanta hard and were proud of it. But you didn't really notice that it wasn't getting that much shine, because that is what you lived and seen every day and how you felt. But when you start looking at the numbers in the radio spins and album sales, you realized that you weren't getting the love that you thought you were getting.
In 2005, it's a whole different ballpark. The South is going crazy right now. So, me being proud to be from Atlanta since '98 and back in the day, it even made me even prouder to be from Atlanta now that everybody's loving Atlanta music so much. When I get in there, I make sure that my whole swagger is from Atlanta, and I represent my house to the fullest.
How do you think YoungBloodZ stands out from other Atlanta artists?
When people think of YoungBloodZ, they don't think about a violent Atlanta. They think about the good times in Atlanta, where you want to go and visit because you heard about the clubs and you heard about our own little dances and everything. So, when they see us, they just have a good time instead of being scared. They know that we've come to party, and we're just like them.
Are you and J-Bo planning solo albums?
I'm definitely working on a solo album. J-Bo does more production - he's getting into that field very heavy. We're always going to cut YoungBloodZ albums for as long as they allow us to. But for our solo albums, we're just going to step out and do something different.
So, how will the solo album differ from a YoungBloodZ album?
When YoungBloodZ come together, we make balanced-out music. It's not just street music, and it's not just an R&B feel. I think it comes together as a whole. J-Bo brings something different to the table, and Sean Paul brings a whole 'nother street side to the table. My solo album will be more for the ladies and for the guys who are in the neighborhood who are trying to get up out of the street situations.
