Kisean Anderson, best known by the stage name Sean Kingston, is a Jamaican-American reggae fusion rapper and songwriter. Known for his dark lyrics, Kingston won the 2007 MOBO award for Best Reggae Act and a Teen Choice award for Best R&B track. Born in Florida, Kingston grew up in Jamaica with his grandfather, reggae producer Lawrence “Jack Ruby” Lindo. In 2007 at the age of 17, Kingston was discovered on Myspace by Tommy Rotem, of Britney Spears and 50 Cent fame, who signed Kingston with Beluga Heights Records. In a joint venture between Sony, Epic Records and Koch Records, Kingston released his first single, “Beautiful Girl”. It was an instant success, reaching number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 and topping international charts. His next single, “Me Love”, released at number one in Australia. Later that same year, Kingston toured with Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé as an opening act. The collection of singles was released as his self-titled first album later that year. In 2009, Kingston released his second album, “Tomorrow” with Lady Gaga, produced by RedOne. The single “Fire Burning” debuted at #5 on Billboard while “Face Drop” climbed to #61. In 2010, he joined the UK group Sugarbabies to record “Miss Everything” and was featured on Bow Wow’s single “For My Hood”. Over the next two years, Kingston released multiple singles featuring guest appearances from T-Pain, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Akon and Dr. Dre. He appeared on Justin Bieber’s single “Eenie Meenie” and his cover of “Pretty Boy Swag” and “Billionaire”. In 2011, Kingston released his free online mixtape “Kings of Kong” which featured Akon, Soulja Boy and Justin Bieber. His most recent album, 2012’s “Back 2 Life”, peaked at number 33 on the R&B Album charts and #52 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The single “Beat It” with Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa reach number 17 on Hot R&B charts.

Intelligence Squared is the world’s leading forum for debate and intelligent discussion. Live and online we take you to the heart of the issues that matter, in the company of some of the world’s sharpest minds and most exciting orators. 

Join the debate at www.intelligencesquared.com and download our weekly podcast every Friday. 

The Week's podcasts swiftly and smartly provide busy people with the best arguments from all perspectives, super-helpful explainers, and terrific recommendations — all with concision, intelligence, and wit.

The show that gave rise to Simply Syndicated, Movies You Should See is at the heart of the network. This is no high-brow affair; it's what you get when a group of friends with different tastes in film gather in front of microphones to discuss, debate, dissect and devour movies for your delectation. 

From the gooey Ghost to the masterful Three Colours Trilogy, the crew leave no stone unturned across the genres and put each other through sometimes tough challenges. Disagreement, salty language and a heavy dose of irreverent humour might belie the passion for film and genuine pathos, but it's all there. 

Grammy-nominated reggae/hip-hop/alternative artist. The new self-titled album, Matisyahu, is out now on vinyl, digital and CD.

Corey0932 is following