After 27 years, dancehall superstar Sean Paul finally had the chance to perform on Dave Kelly’s legendary show time Riddim – a juggling riddim that he has wanted to sing for a long time and is famous for hits such as Wayne Wonders Search for The Search and Bounty Killer’s Eagle and falcon.
Showtime, released in 1997 by Kelly’s Madhouse Records, is considered one of the best dancehall riddims of all time. Dave Kelly incorporated the sounds of cheering football fans in a stadium into the beat, making noises like “ah” and “hey”.
According to a press release from Sean Paul’s music label Dutty Rock Productions, Paul’s new single is titled Bring it.
“Bring it not only presents Sean Paul’s unmistakable sound, but breathes new life into the classic riddim with a contemporary flair. It is the ultimate party song that invites the audience to take to the dance floor and celebrate the timeless appeal of dancehall music. Sean Paul’s fusion of nostalgic vibes and contemporary beats promises an exciting musical experience for fans old and new,” the press release states.
In an interview with Siobhan Dixon of Vibe Magazine in June 2022, Sean Paul, who has been featured on several of dancehall’s most influential riddims, including Playground, Diwali, Bookshelf, Street SweeperAnd SumsWhen asked “Which riddim are you not on but would like to be on?” he answered Showtime.
“I could spontaneously name one, show time. When I heard it, I was like, ‘Wow.’ You know what I mean? It’s a classic riddim. A very productive riddim,” temperatureThe artist had answered.
Sean’s comments came a week after Nigel Staff, principal of the legendary band Ruff Kutt and co-producer of Sean Paul and Keyshia Cole’s “Give it Up to Me,” mentioned, among other things, that there had been rumors that Dave Kelly doesn’t think much of Sean Paul.
When Staff, an award-winning record producer, songwriter and musician, was asked why he thought Dave Kelly had never worked with Sean Paul, he replied to Anthony Miller of Television Jamaica in an interview with Entertainment Report: “Rumor has it that he said he didn’t appreciate him.”
“I don’t know. I don’t follow rumors. But sometimes, to be honest – and this is my personal opinion – Dave was really busy and Sean was really busy. And sometimes it was so hard for people to meet and connect… but I say it’s not too late, and I don’t think there’s any bad blood. I think it can happen, and I think honestly, personally – I think we need some of that new old school in 2023,” Staff had added.
Although Sean Paul never recorded with Dave Kelly, he achieved great success working with the producer’s older brother, Tony “CD” Kelly, who produced his hit tracks Deport them And Like glue.
Deport them was the first single from Sean’s debut album Stage One. Originally released in 1998 on bookshelf Riddim, Tony co-wrote and produced the song and it reached number 70 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in 2000.
Like gluewhich was also co-written and produced by Tony, was released in 2002 on Sean’s Dutty Skirt Album. Spoken on Tonys Buyout Riddim, it peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a top ten hit in countries such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland.
What Showtimee, international dancehall artist Cham, who also scored with hits Hot Hot Crew And Galang Yah Galon the Riddim described show time as the “greatest dancehall riddim of all time”.
Cham also attributed the greatness of the riddim to Kelly’s creativity and unconventional musical techniques, stressing that these were the driving forces behind his success.
Dave Kelly, considered the greatest dancehall producer of all time, dominated the 1990s with his prolific output, creating numerous iconic riddims during this time, including Pepper seeds, joyride, stench, And Dugu Dugu.
Kelly also developed riddim like Bogle, Arabian Attack, Heartbeat, Return, Haunted, Backyard, Fiesta, 85And Bruk-Auswhich gave rise to many of the biggest dancehall hits.
Since 2003, Sean Paul has had 19 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. His first No. 1 hit was the platinum-selling Keep yourself busy about Lensky Marsdens Diwali Riddim, followed by his breakthrough single Give me the light about Troyton Ramis Sums Riddim, which also topped the charts. Both tracks appeared on his 2x platinum Dutty Skirt Album that won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2004.
In 2005 We burn on the Stepz Riddim reached number 6 and was certified platinum in 2017, while his single temperature on Snowcone’s Applause Riddim has received triple platinum certification.
