Shaggy, born Orville Richard Burrell, in Kingston, Jamaica, relocated to his mother s home in Brooklyn, New York at age 18. "My breeding ground was Flatbush," Shaggy says. He made two immediate Number One club hits, "Mampie" and "Big Up," with producer Sting International, who continues to play a crucial creative role in Shaggy s music. But two successful records on the local dancehall scene didn t add up to a living, and Shaggy joined the U.S. Marines in 1988, serving in the first Gulf War of 1991. Determined to succeed in music on his return stateside, he and Sting created "Oh Carolina," which roared into the Number One spot in the U.K. and nine other countries in 1993 and appeared on the Pure Pleasure album. The 1995 Boombastic album cemented Shaggy s position as a consistent hitmaker, winning a Grammy in 1996 for Best Reggae Album.

Shaggy s inevitably known as a comeback kid, having famously been dropped by his first label, Virgin, and responding by releasing the massively successful Hot Shot album on MCA, with its global Number One singles "It Wasn t Me" and "Angel." With a six-week run at Number One on the U.S. album chart, over six million albums were sold in the U.S., out of a worldwide total of more than 10 million. Hot Shot topped the album chart in 15 countries in 2001, and a rain of international awards followed.

Undoubtedly, Shaggy s version of reggae/dancehall has generated swirls of criticism from both his peers and dancehall fans for plying listeners with watered down dancehall. His fusion of dancehall beats, undercut with R&B rhythms laced with distinctive patois, is more palatable to mainstream audience but has alienated foundation fans. But is a formula that has proved successful and has laid the foundation for the acceptance of dancehall music as we know it. He explains, "fifteen years ago, when West Indians were rocking to veterans like Shabba Ranks and Tiger, Americans understood little of our music outside of Bob Marley. Shaggy s fledgling efforts helped put dancehall on the map. He asserts, "the main challenge with appealing to mainstream audiences was the language. I blended patois with bits of English clearly enough that people could understand, but used dancehall melodies. That s what brings it back to the dancehall."

But has he sacrificed substance for mainstream accessibility? "I m old school," he explains. "I ve been listening to since the Shabba days when the beat was hardcore. When it came to songs like Trail-A-Load, mainstream wouldn t have it because it didn t fit the format. So for songs like "Bombastic" I had to do an R&B remix where we put Marvin s, "Let s Get it On," underneath. But nowadays we can use more authentic dancehall beats because I ve captured an audience. I try to fuse more dancehall vibe with crossover appeal."

No doubt Shaggy s style has captured the ear of a worldwide audience and has opened the doors for others to follow. Today, artists such as Beenie Man, Sean Paul and Damion Marley have a more receptive audience in part because of Shaggy s success. But you ll hear no complaints from Shaggy: he knows his brand and he gives his fans what they want. "This is what I ve worked at for years. It doesn t make sense to go straight dancehall when I have a core audience who knows me for something else."

Though Shaggy s contributions may be apparent, there are continued rumblings questioning his credibility. Despite the unprecedented millions in record sales and a global fan base, reggae purists and hardcore fans have withheld from him both credit and the high regard other artist enjoy. Shaggy remains unbowed; "My respect in Jamaica is an unspoken one. They can t erase what I ve done because it s on record. I ve sold more records than any Caribbean artist [at one time, Hot Shot], including Bob Marley and have been blessed with four monster hits. I watch the whole movement and the dancing around my name yet I m still the man to beat."

The glow has not always been rosy and Shaggy has not been exempt from the sting of fickle tastes and skeptical music executives. Record labels still struggle with ways to effectively market Caribbean artists. In what Shaggy terms "the bubble gum effect," Virgin Records unceremoniously dumped him after the unenthusiastic response to 1997 s "Midnight Lover." "They chewed while I gave them hits, when things went down, the gum is done. They spit you out and look around, Who s the new flavor in Jamaica? Beenie Man, let s sign him. I actually kept Beenie Man s career afloat."

Admittedly, the music business is an ugly business, but the sacrifice of the few benefits man. As such, Shaggy feels secure in his place in reggae music history and his friend Sly has reminded him he does this for the love of music. "We re pioneers in this game. Revolutionaries"

--- Written by Denise Campbell

External Sources: shaggyonline.com