AceShowbiz - Reggae legend Sean Paul scrapped a planned project with an up-and-comer named Cardi B because she was too good to appear in a bit role on someone else's single.

The Bodak Yellow hitmaker appeared on a demo to one of Paul's songs after he left the raw track with an unnamed producer - and he was astonished when he first heard her.

"Someone chopped up the song and put Cardi in it," the singer tells Entertainment Tonight. "I didn't want it to be that someone put part of her song from some other thing with part of my song from some other thing, so I stopped it from happening.

"I sent word to her saying that I want to work in the studio with her. There's many different styles of artists and art and production and sometimes it's great to just mix and match, but I haven't been feeling that way lately. I like to pinpoint exactly who I want to work with and get in the studio with them."

But the reggae great has worked with Cardi's husband, Migos star Offset, revealing he recorded with the rap trio before Offset and Cardi were an item.

"I did have opportunities to work with her..., where someone would mix and match production together, but I wasn't down with that," Sean details. "It didn't sound like what I would come up with, being in studio with Cardi B or what she would come up with on the track. I'd love to work with her!"

He'd also like to work with Shakira and Rita Ora, explaining, "There's a song that's sitting in someone's closet that I'd like to get out of there."

Paul is gearing up to release his new EP Mad Love - The Prequel, which features collaborations with Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Tory Lanez, David Guetta, and Major Lazer.