LOS ANGELES, CA -- Top Jamaican-born dancehall artist Sean Paul beat out Nick Lachey and Kanye West last night to take home the favorite male pop/rock award at the 2006 American Music Awards.
Paul, whose Trinity album has been topping reggae sales, scored the coup over the two American singers, proving that his cross over appeal and American fan base in growing larger.
The American Music Awards nominees are chosen based on record sales and winners were selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.
The show featured top performances from entertainers like Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Jay Z and the R-rated finale by Snoop Dogg and the Senegalese Akon, which wowed the audience with its slew of sexy, skimpily-clad dancers, who gyrated on stage and on a pole.
Other winners included Kelly Clarkson, Nickelback, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, the Black Eyed Peas, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill and Shakira.
Talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the three-hour ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium that was televised live on ABC.
Meanwhile, Paul is set to tour Africa early next month. He’s slated to perform at the Cidadela Pavillion in Luanda on December 8th and the Accra Int'l Conference Center in Ghana on the 9th. He moves on to Dubai and Doha on the 15th and the 16th, respectively.
