Sean Paul

Whether he's spicing up Beyoncé's "Baby Boy" with Jamaican dynamite, hooking up with the likes of Rihanna and Blu Cantrell, or cracking out the syllables on crossover killers like "Temperature" and "We Be Burnin'," Sean Paul leaves us in absolutely no doubt: he's a substantial force in 21st- century dancehall reggae. Get your grind on with early single "Deport Them" — originally released in 1998 but reintroduced as the lead single from U.S. album debut Stage One in 2000 — become infected by the intoxicating Diwali rhythm of his worldwide monster hit from 2003, "Get Busy," then chill as he plays serenading loverman on 2009's "Hold My Hand (I'll Be There)."

Flesh out Sean Paul's sonic profile with our Next Steps.

If 2002's Dutty Rock was the album that catapulted Sean Paul into the mainstream (and secured dancehall its territory in the atlas of pop), then 2005's follow-up, The Trinity, sealed his deal. Tracks like "Breakout" and "Eye Deh a Mi Knee" are so hot, they're probably doing more damage to the ozone layer than heavy industry, while the tempered heat of "Never Gonna Be the Same" is a result of its origins as a tribute to slain friend, Daddigon. British R&B superstar Jay Sean dials up a touch of Sean Paul magic for his late-2009 crossover release, "Do You Remember," while R. Kelly benefits from the Jamaican's lyrical finesse on the 2005 remix of "Slow Wind."

More high-profile Sean Paul collabs can be found in Deep Cuts.

Sean Paul spent a large portion of the '90s laying down roots in the Jamaican music industry, honing his songcraft and DJ skills, and learning the ropes from mentor Don Yute. Early homeland hits like "Dream, Dream, Dream" were crude but highly addictive, while tracks such as "Hot Gal Today" — ultimately the source of a marketing rift with collaborator Mr. Vegas — would be gathered up and reprocessed for his introduction to the world-at-large: Stage One. And if nothing less than a superstar alliance is required to seal the deal, then look no further than "Cry Baby Cry," which allies Sean Paul with Carlos Santana and Joss Stone.

It's usually a pre-requisite for dancehall stars to serve their apprenticeship on Jamaica's meaner streets, but Sean Paul's comfortable middle-class roots in Upper Saint Andrew Parish have bucked the accepted trend. Born to artistic and athletic parents in 1973, Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques excelled at water polo as a kid, but gave up his sporting dreams to become a DJ and, ultimately, a dancehall superstar. This comprehensive set of Essentials salutes an artist who has released four outstanding albums during the first decade of the 21st century (the middle two went multi-platinum in many countries) and stands as testament to his huge global appeal. Here's a performer whose rhymes flow like rum and whose mastery of multiple riddims has injected fresh impetus into the contemporary crossover scene.