Sean Garrett, through his songwriting, wonderfully links aggressive hiphop beats with sweet rnb melodies. Without him, the futuristic sounds of Polow da Don, Lil Jon and Swizz Beatz would probably never have transformed into the smash hits by Ciara, Usher and Beyoncé. He possesses a unique talent, which is why our expectations for his debut album as a solo artist, Turbo 919, were set up high. To me, the album was a disappointment, but it still contains the gem ‘Grippin’’, the Ludacris-featured single. A jazzy chord progression, a melody as sweet as honey and an intoxicating tempo – Sean Garrett attacks the song like a rapper – lead to a chorus that lights up any dancefloor. Luda impresses also, with his teasing delay of the last words of every phrase, and the beat-synched “Bang! Bang! Bang!” shout at the end. A defining moment of 2008.

Sean Garrett ft. Ludacris - Grippin’ (prod. by Sean Garrett)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.