Setting the record straight! Despite what some fans may have thought, Sean Paul confirmed that his relationship with Beyoncé was nothing but professional when they collaborated on the 2003 dancehall duet “Baby Boy.”
Paul, 49, however, also claimed that the “Crazy in Love” singer once confronted him about rumors that they were an item, which began swirling after “Baby Boy” and the accompanying music video were released. In a Monday, May 16, interview with The Daily Beast, the Reggae singer said that Beyoncé, 40, pulled him aside when the two performed together at the MTV Europe Music Awards in November 2003.
“She was pissed and was like ‘I need to speak to you,’” the “Temperature” singer claimed. “So, we go back and talk and she’s like ‘What’s all these rumors about?’ and I’m like ‘Yo, I’m not saying s–t,’ and she’s like ‘These rumors f–k with my career. I just want you to know that.’”
Paul says he told Beyoncé that the rumors were “not coming from me” but alleged that he was distanced from the “Halo” singer nonetheless. “It’s weird,” he said. “Maybe it had something to do with her management at the time.”
The Jamaica native also joked that although he and the pop star never had a fling, “I wish I did!” He recalled being excited at the time to have a chance to collaborate with the “Formation” singer. “I’d always admired her music and she’s beautiful. So, when I heard Beyoncé was stepping out on her own and wanted me to do a single, I was like ‘Hell f–king yeah.’”
When “Baby Boy” was released in 2003, the “Love On Top” singer was already dating her now-husband, Jay-Z. After Paul didn’t perform with Beyoncé at the 2003 MTV VMA awards, there was speculation that the “Empire State of Mind” rapper had blocked Paul from performing with his then-girlfriend.
The “Get Busy” singer denied the alleged beef with Jay-Z, 52, during a 2012 appearance on RapFix Live. “That’s a rumor that started. I’ve known Jay-Z from before I knew her [Beyoncé],” Paul said. He added that he didn’t address the rumors at first because it benefited his career. “The general public blew it up in certain things. I just remained quiet about it for years because it was doing its work. There was just a lot of controversy. She’s an amazing artist, the song was at #1 for like nine weeks, so that was a very special time for me and for dancehall,” the rapper said.
The “Drunk in Love” collaborators got married in 2008. They have three children together: Blue, 10, and twins Sir and Rumi, both 4.
Paul has been married to Jamaican TV host Jodi Stewart since 2012. The couple have two children together: Levi, 5, and Remi, 2.
