Verzuz is a friendly competition between two artists. During their time on stage, they either perform or play their smash hits, and ultimately the fans discuss who, they believe, won. Well, it seems like not all musicians are up for taking part in the beloved Instagram series. In fact, Sean Paul has stated that he doesn’t want to participate at all. This news began surfacing after Beenie Man and Bounty Killer went head to head last year.
Sean Paul was speaking to a radio host at BBC1XTra when he expressed why he wouldn’t be a part of Verzuz. Although others were suggesting that he go against Shaggy, Sean Paul respectfully declined. In October, he explained to another news outlet that Verzuz had a negative influence on dancehall. He also went as far as to refer to its longstanding existence as a “slavery mentality” within the genre’s culture. You can watch the interview here.
He told the BBC1XTra interviewer:
I’m not up for Verzuz. I personally don’t like the platform. I don’t like the name Verzuz. People say is not a clash, and I get that, but it reminds me of a clash, and I’m not up into the clashing ting at all … I’m not scared of it, I just don’t agree with it.”
Sean Paul adds that he lives in a violent society. In his area, music has a huge impact on the community. The dancehall hitmaker doesn’t want to promote any form of negativity within the culture.
“I live in a violent society in Jamaica right now, and the clash ting is to me something that is … I don’t want to say it’s causing the violence in society … but everybody is becoming complacent, so my stance is to fight against that in general.”
“Being somebody who has buried my own friends because of violence, my own brothers because of a violent situation … I don’t even get the time to mourn, you know. I go back into studios and hear the same lyrics, I go into the dance, and I hear the same lyrics. It reminds me exactly of what happened to my bredrin – 9 shots! And I’ve had not just one person but many … this is my family here,” he added.
We sure do hope Sean Paul changes his mind. With hits like “I’m Still In Love With You” and “Temperature,” he’s bound to keep the roof ablaze.
Written by Natalee Gilbert