Shaggy
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Shaggy, named after the Scooby-Doo character, was the biggest crossover success in dancehall reggae. He became one of the few reggae artists to top the Album and Pop Charts worldwide. His biggest break was the worldwide hit single, "Boombastic".
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About
Orville Richard Burell in real life and was better known as Shaggy, was named from Scooby-Doo character and born on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica. At the age of 18, Shaggy and his mother moved in Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York and began performing with the local Jamaican-style sound system Gibraltar Music.
In 1998, Shaggy became a marine and he was station at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, but during his free time, he often drove back to New York for recording sessions. At the age of 20, he released his first recording "Bullet Proof Buddy" that was produced by Don One's own label. His next single, "Big Hood" was produced by Lloyd Campbell.
However, it was the Radio DJ, Sting, who gave Shaggy a big break. DJ Sting got him a gig cutting duplets at Philip Smarts Studio. One of his released singles "Mampie" became a huge hit among New York reggae fans. The other single, "Big Up" was also a success. Due to his obligations at the military, his career stopped for a while because he joined the Operation Desert Storm 1991 in Kuwait for a five-month tour of duty. When he went back to Camp Lejeune, Shaggy resumed his music career in New York by releasing another album Oh Carolina, which was an instant hit in Europe, climbing at the topped of the British Pop Charts.
But Oh Carolina was not a hit in the United States. His follow up singles, "Soon Be Done" and "Nice and Lovely" failed to duplicate the successes of his previous singles.
Fortunately, the huge success of Oh Carolina in other countries was enough for him to sign a recording contract with Virgin Records. In 1993, he released his first album Pure Pleasure under the said label; included in the album was his recent released singles. In 1994, Greensleeves records released a compilation album, Original Doberman which covered many of his earliest singles.
Now a big star in Europe, Shaggy conquered American listeners with his another album, Boombastic which was released in 1995, sold over a million copies in U.S. alone and had reached number three on the Pop Charts as well climbing number one on the R&B Charts. His single, "In the Summertime" topped the U.K. Charts. His album went platinum and spent a full year at number one on Billboard's reggae album charts; Boombastic was the Best Reggae Album in the Grammy Awards. Shaggy’s single, "Why You Treat Me So Bad" that featured the guest rapper, Grand Pupa nearly reached the 1996 British Top Ten, but was not a hit in America.
In 1996, Shaggy had an extensive world tour and released a single, "That Girl" that he sang with Maxi Priest.
In the Year 1997, Shaggy released his next album, Midnite Lover. The first single, "Piece of My Heart" which he had a duet with Marsha, was a flopped in the United States, but it was a hit in some countries.
During the downfall of his music career, in 1998, he made some movie soundtracks such as the minor hit duet with Janet Jackson, "Luv Me, Luv Me", from the soundtrack of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back", and in 1999, the single "Hope" from the soundtrack of "For Love of the Game."
In that same year, he had signed a recording contract with MCA and released his album, Hot Shot, with his first single from that album, Dance and Shout. However, a radio DJ in Hawaii, downloaded the track, “It Wasn’t Me” and played it in on his show, and turned into a national hit, climbing up the Pop Charts and made it into number one spot in early 2001. His follow up single, "Angel" went number one in the U.S. and U.K. The album spent six weeks at number one on the album charts and sold 6 million copies in the U.S. alone.
In 2002, while preparing for his next album, Virgin Records released a compilation album, The Best of Shaggy while MCA released a remix album, Hotshot Ultra Mix.
In the latter part of 2002, Shaggy released his next album, Lucky Day which he tributes to all woman worldwide. His singles, "Hey Sexy Lady," and "Strength of a Woman", didn't make well in the U.S. but it was well sold and in 2005, he released his album, Clothes Drop under Geffen label.
Awards
| Year | Category | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | World's Best-Selling Male Pop Artist | World Music Award |
| 2002 | World's Best-Selling R&B Male Artist | World Music Award |
| 2002 | World's Best-Selling Reggae Artist | World Music Award |
| 2002 | World's Best-Selling American Artist | World Music Award |
| 2002 | Best Selling Album for "Hotshot" | Juno Award |
| 2001 | Choice Love Song for "Angel" | Teen Choice Award |
| 2001 | Choice R&B/Hip Hop Artist | Teen Choice Award |
| 2001 | Male Artist of The Year | Billboard Music Award |
| 2001 | Male Albums Artist of the Year | Billboard Music Award |
| 2001 | Best Reggae Artist | MOBO Award |
| 1996 | Best Reggae Album for "Boombastic" | Grammy Award |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Song | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | U.K. Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Oh Carolina | 59 | 1 | Pure Pleasure |
| 1995 | Boombastic | 2 | 1 | Boombastic |
| 1996 | You Treat Me So Bad | - | 11 | Boombastic |
| 1997 | Piece of My Heart | 72 | 7 | Midnite Lover |
| 2001 | It Wasn't Me | 1 | - | Hot Shot |
| 2001 | Angel | 1 | 1 | Hot Shot |
| 2003 | Strength of A Woman | - | 31 | Lucky Day |
| 2006 | Ultimatum | 76 | - | Clothes Drop |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Shaggy.
Announcements
Shaggy's latest album is already out at all record bar stores.
Discography
Albums
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 Intoxication
October 22, 2007 |
Singles
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Compilations & Live Releases
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Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Shaggy is a former Marine Veteran of the Persian Gulf War.
- He appeared as a public service announcement for AIDS/HIV Prevention.
- He authored a children's book entitled "Hope for Scholastic Incorporated".
