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Beenie Man Recalls Making 'Girls Dem Sugar' With Pharrell

Reggae singer credits the producer for one of his breakthrough songs.

While most of the music world is still celebrating veteran producer Pharrell's musical prowess on songs like his smash "Happy," early collaborator and dancehall king Beenie Man recently reminded that the Virginia Beach-bred producer's production genius has been blazing worldwide since before the new millennium.

His Grammy Award-winning "Girls Dem Sugar," featuring Mya, which dropped in 2000, was P's idea, Beenie said.

"We got in the studio with the Neptunes. It was not my idea; it was Pharrell's," Beenie Man told BET.com. "He had this great idea to remake "Who Am I (Sim Simma) [Beenie's breakthrough record released two years prior]."

Skateboard P, who enjoyed a phenomenal 2013 with hits like Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," also came up with the catchy chorus according to the reggae star.

"So he [Pharrell] goes, '(Sim simma) Beenie Man, ah dem girls dem sugar / (Sim simma) The girls dem world class lover,' and that's how it was put together. And we got a Grammy Award for it. It was a great thing, and then we put Mya on the track and the rest was history."  

Now gearing up for his first studio release in the states since 2006's Undisputed, the Caribbean crooner has still managed to move the culture with monstrous hits like "I'm Drinking / Rum and Red Bull" and his latest, "Greatest Gallis" with Sean Paul, off his EP of the same name. Beenie says his seven year layoff was necessary and that the long awaited project will feature the classic vibes and rhythms that he's known for.

"It's me and it's what I do best, music, and it's to get the fans involved in what I'm doing."

Check out the video below to hear Beenie deliver more details about his next LP.

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 (Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET) 

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