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How Sean Paul's iPad Helped Him Make His New Album

This article is more than 10 years old.

Dancehall superstar Sean Paul is best known for his maddeningly catchy hooks, his distinctive Jamaican lilt and ever-changing hairstyles that have run the gamut from cornrows to his current mohawk. But thanks to his iPad, this musical chameleon of coiffure has added a few more titles to his resume: technologist, tinker, producer.

Over the past few years, Sean Paul has been using the popular Apple product as a sort of melodic sketchpad, tapping out beats while traveling on planes, trains and automobiles and later refining them in the studio. One such song, "Roll wid di Don," appears on his new album, Tomahawk Technique, released today.

"This is basically a toy," he explained, pointing to the iPad, on a recent visit to the FORBES headquarters. "But it's something that I can put my ideas down and take to the studio."

Musicians using the iPad to trace the beginnings of a song is more evolution than revolution. Michael Jackson carried around a voice recorder and would use it to capture ideas that came to him outside the studio. When Sean Paul got his start in the mid-1990s, he did the same. These days, the recording mechanism is simply more sophisticated.

Tomahawk Technique also represents something of an evolution for Sean Paul. Instead of relying on his usual cast of dancehall producers--and in addition to doing some of the producing himself--he brought on hitmakers from the pop world and asked for their take on dancehall. The result: an eclectic album with tracks by Stargate (the Norwegian duo behind hits from Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Shakira and others) and Rico Love (who has produced for Beyonce, Usher, Fergie and others).

Sean Paul also pursued a rather unusual strategy for the release, putting out the full album in January in Europe, where he's especially popular. He's release half of the album's twelve tracks as singles over the past year; each one provides another chance at generating some buzz, with the aim of extending the album cycle's longevity to increase record sales. The continued attention may be helping him on the road as well--he averages over $100,000 in gross ticket sales per night, according to Pollstar.

As for the shift from cornrows to his titular mohawk, Sean Paul is quite straightforward:

"I just got tired of the braids, man."

To hear the full story from Sean Paul, check out the videos below...

Sean Paul demonstrates how he puts together songs with his iPad:

Sean Paul takes us inside new album Tomahawk Technique:

For more on the business of music, check out my Jay-Z biography Empire State of MindYou can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook.