A heavy downpour in Nairobi didn’t stop thousands of fans from attending Sean Paul concert Kenya. His fans thronged Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on Sunday evening, December 1 and braved pounding rains through the night. Nothing stopped them from enjoying this special night dubbed Who Said Sean Paul.
There was nothing other than a string of songs playing at KICC grounds, taking revellers back to the day. Kenyan dancehall and Arbantone artists curtain-raised for the man of the moment on his second visit to Kenya; after 20 years.
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How Was Sean Paul Concert Kenya?
The US-based Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist took to the stage moments after 11 pm East African Time. Celebrated Kenyan dancehall artist Redsan opened the stage for the Jamaican star with his timeless hits. Then, in a hooded silver-shiny jacket to brave the chilly Nairobi weather, Sean Paul emerged from the backstage and everything changed.
It was time for Sean Paul concert Kenya to blow away thousands of fans who attended the event. Temperature, She Doesn’t Mind, Gimme The light, Bailando Remix among many other hit songs charged the crowd so much that they didn’t mind at all about the midnight rain. At 51, his energy on stage was unmatched.
US-based Jamaican reggae sensation Sean Paul at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. Photo/WhoSaidKE/tintsehh/Instagram
Hit after hit, his dancers popularly known as Badda Gyalz left the crowd animated asking for more. The Got 2 Luv U hitmaker matched the requests with electrifying performances on most of his classics which millennials grew up listening to. What was surprising about Sean Paul concert Kenya was its cross-generation appeal.
Gen-Z’s rocked the concert as much as the millennials did. They all sang along to every track. Some of his most popular songs that he performed include the following:
- No Lie
- Temperature
- Everblazing
- Get Busy
- Bailando Remix
- She Doesn’t Mind
- Gimme the Light
- I’m Still in Love With You
- Rockabye
- Mad Love
- Come Over
Which Celebrities Attended Sean Paul Concert at KICC?
Celebrated city disc jockey DJ Grauchi, Bensol, Sean MMG, Bahati, Diana Marua and Jaymo Ule Msee attended the event. Others are media personality Willis Raburu, Cate Actress, Motif Di Don, comedians Butita and AY among many others graced Sean Paul concert Kenya.
Has Sean Paul Performed in Kenya Again?
Sean Paul’s first concert in Kenya was in 2004. He performed at the Carnivore Grounds in Nairobi’s Langa’ta suburbs on the backdrop of his international fame. Sean Paul rode on the success of his sophomore album titled Dutty Rock released in 2002. Big songs such as Get Busy, Gimme The Light, Like Glue (Temperature) are from this album.
Gimme The Light pushed him to international stardom. Kenya was one of the countries he chose for his first concert as a Grammy Award winner, thanks to Dutty Rock album. Get Busy in particular topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually won a Grammy under the Best Reggae Album in 2004.
Fans enjoying music by US-based Jamaican reggae sensation Sean Paul at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. Photo/WhoSaidKE/tintsehh/Instagram
How Did Sean Paul Start Music?
Before releasing his little-known debut album Stage One, Sean Paul tried water polo sports to please his father but dropped it midway. He embarked on doing cultural music in Kingston, Jamaica addressing biting issues such as poverty but no one paid attention to him. Not until the day he met famous dancehall producer Jeremy Harding.
Harding is the reason Sean Paul concert Kenya happened in 2004 and most recently in 2024. The producer rescued Sean while he was on the verge of giving up on his music career six years on. It was through him that his party-themed songs were born. From this point, Sean composed songs about partying and women.
They gained traction and before long, his music started penetrating American clubs and house parties. This new progress inspired the release of his Grammy Award-winning album, Dutty Rock in 2002. He recalls the making of his two biggest tunes in this album; Gimme The Light and Get Busy.
In Get Busy, Sean Paul’s lyrical touch to the song came from advice from his brother who asked him to sing about what women like and their party life. His wife Cana also requested him to include her name in the song and he felt so rejuvenated in his last studio session recording the song.
By then, Gimme The Light had opened doors for him as a signed artist with Atlantic label. Get Busy’s release only pushed him higher in the American music charts. This song charted for three straight weeks on US Billboard Top 100.
