December 20, 2022
Sean Paul surprised fans that he is not singing his own name 'Sean da Paul' in his music.
The Jamaican rapper shared that he took inspiration for his moniker from Guyanese cricket player Shivnarine Chanderpaul, via People Magazine.
The fan theory began when certified Sean Paul fan and Twitter user @Santokie89 confessed that he used to think Sean Paul was shouting out the name 'Chanderpaul' at the start of his songs 'in a tribute to the Guyanese cricket player Shivnarine Chanderpaulm, reported LAD Bible. While many fans laughed the theory off, the singer himself confirmed it in a documentary.
“There’s a famous cricketer in Trinidad [named] Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Everybody was like, ‘Sean da Paul,’ and that name stuck,” explained the musician during a Vice documentary.
The Temperature singer, whose actual name is Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD, share a similar pronunciation to the cricketer, hence, he adopted the moniker as a staple for much of his music.
He added, “Then I just started to say it in shows and met the dude Chanderpaul years later, and he’s like, ‘Yo!’ But yeah, big up to Shivnarine Chanderpaul.”
After the documentary premiered, which showcased the making of his 2003 hit "Get Busy," he commented about the revelation in a cheeky Twitter post, writing: "If u didnt kno ~ now you kno: big up #Chanderpaul.”
For over two decades, Paul name has appeared in his songs as he first began to rise to fame in Jamaica. Because of his strong connection to the country, he added that it is still where he resides today.
“A lot of people ask me why I still live here,” he said. “These people made me. They built me into what I am today.”