Sean Taylor finds his voice in Jamaica’s music

For Ghanaian rapper-turned-dancehall deejay Theophilous Tettey Taylor, who goes by the stage name Sean Taylor, Jamaica's music is more than lyrics recorded on a rhythm. The music has given him a voice to be creative and speak out about social issues while enjoying music.

Sean Taylor developed a love for dancehall and reggae at an early age. He changed from twi rap or hip-life (a popular form of music in West Africa) to dancehall.

"To really be a recording artiste in the genres, you really have to have a mastery of patois, so I went on the Internet and downloaded a Jamaican patois dictionary," Sean Taylor said. He added that he learnt all the words from A to Z. "Then I learnt about the music by listening to it regularly."

GAINING RECOGNITION

He gained recognition after high school when he became a finalist in a competition to open for the Mavado Live in Ghana stage show.

He was signed the following year by Maseda Records which released singles Everybody Bard, Muntaashi and Free Up Jacob.

He credits Sean Paul, Capleton, Sizzla, Vybz Kartel and Shaggy as a big part of his inspiration, and hopes to collaborate with at least one of them.

"I used to imitate popular artistes and draw inspiration from them. I even listened Good Girl Gone Bad by Tarrus Riley and Konshens and wrote a song with the same title," Sean Taylor said.

This year, Paper4Life Music in the United Kingdom signed him and produced two songs, Ginger and Vibes Deh Yah featuring Jamaican dancehall artiste, Vershon.