Orville Richard BurrellCD (born October 22, 1968),^[1] known professionally asShaggy, is a Jamaican-American^[2]reggae musician who scored hits with the songs "It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic", "In the Summertime", "Oh Carolina", and "Angel". He has been nominated for eightGrammy Awards, winning twice forBest Reggae Album withBoombastic in 1996 and44/876 withSting in 2019, and has won theBrit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002.

Shaggy CD
Shaggy performing in 2018
Born	Orville Richard Burrell (1968-10-22)October 22, 1968 (age 56) Kingston, Jamaica
Citizenship	Jamaica United States
Occupations	Musician singer deejay songwriter
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Rebecca Packer ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	5, includingRobb Banks
Musical career
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Reggae dancehall hip-hop reggae fusion
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	EMI Virgin MCA Geffen Universal Big Yard Ranch VP
Website	shaggyonline.com
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/ branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1988–1992
Rank	Lance corporal
Battles / wars	Gulf War

In 2007, he was awarded the JamaicanOrder of Distinction with the rank ofCommander. In 2022, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree fromBrown University.^[3]

Orville Richard Burrell was born on October 22, 1968, inKingston.^[1] At the age of 18, he moved to New York City with his mother.^[4]

Burrell enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps on April 12, 1988 and obtained theMOS 0811 (Field Artillery Cannon Crewman). He served with a Field Artillery Battery in the 10th Marine Regiment during thePersian Gulf War. Discharged on May 4, 1992, the highest rank he achieved was lance corporal, although he was reduced in rank twice.^[5] Burrell perfected his signature "toasting" voice while he was in the Marine Corps.^[6][7]

Shaggy decided to pursue his music career and his first hit in 1993, "Oh Carolina", was adancehall re-make of aska hit by theFolkes Brothers, which appeared in the filmSliver.^[1] The same year, Shaggy appeared onKenny Dope's hip hop albumThe Unreleased Project. He worked together with producers such asSting International, Don One, Lloyd 'Spiderman' Campbell, Robert Livingston andFrankie Cutlass on the Maxi-Single title "Nice and Lovely" Hip Hop Remix. He had further big hits, including "Boombastic" in 1995,^[1] the theme tune of a popularLevi's commercial, and sang withMaxi Priest on his Top 20 hit from 1996, "That Girl".^[8]

In 1999, Shaggy was dropped byVirgin, who felt he was unlikely to release another song as successful as 1995's "Boombastic".^[9] He would sign withMCA Records to release the albumHot Shot, the following year. The album featured the smash hit singles "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel", the latter of which was built around two song samples –Chip Taylor's song "Angel of the Morning" (which released byMerrilee Rush in 1968 and covered in 1981 byJuice Newton), and TheSteve Miller Band's 1973 hit "The Joker". Both songs topped theBillboard Hot 100 and saw similar success worldwide, reaching number one in theUK,Ireland,Scotland andFrance, among others.^[1] Female artist Lady Saw (aka Marion Hall) did ananswer record toIt Wasn't Me ("Son of a Bit@h") that also saw chart action.Hot Shot debuted at number one on theBillboard 200, and would go on to be certified 8xplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as achieving platinum or multi-platinum status in a number of other countries, and ranking as the second most successful album of 2001 on theBillboard Year-End charts.

In 2001 Shaggy was selected to perform withRayvon andRikrok atMichael Jackson's 30th anniversary, performing the songs "Angel" and "It Wasn't Me" fromHot Shot.

Over the course of his next two albums, Shaggy saw his popularity decline in the United States. In October 2002, Shaggy released his second album for MCA,Lucky Day. While the album went on to sell 352,000 copies in the United States and become certified Gold by the RIAA,^[10] it was considered a sales disappointment in contrast to those ofHot Shot.^[11] MCA, who had been banking on the album's success to get the label through a poor financial year, subsequently went under, and was absorbed into sister labelGeffen Records in July 2003.^[11][12] Shaggy's only album on Geffen, 2005'sClothes Drop, was even less of a success, only selling 40,000 copies, and he parted ways with the label the following year.^[13]

Despite this, both albums were more successful internationally.^[13]Lucky Day was more successful in Europe, especially with heavy airplay for the single "Hey Sexy Lady". Shaggy re-made theScooby-Doo theme song on the soundtrack titled "Shaggy, Where Are You?"^{[citation needed]} Shaggy also recorded the theme for the 2002 movieShowtime. Shaggy's last top 40 single in the United States was "Angel" from the albumHot Shot. On March 11, 2002, Shaggy andAli G released "Me Julie" from the soundtrack to the filmAli G Indahouse. The song sold 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom, as stated by theOfficial Charts Company. It spent 14 weeks on theUK Singles Chart, peaking at number two.^[14]

Shaggy was featured on the albumTrue Love byToots and the Maytals, which won theGrammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians includingWillie Nelson,Eric Clapton,Jeff Beck,Trey Anastasio,Gwen Stefani /No Doubt,Ben Harper,Bonnie Raitt,Manu Chao,The Roots,Ryan Adams,Keith Richards,Toots Hibbert,Paul Douglas, Jackie Jackson,Ken Boothe, andThe Skatalites.^[15]

Following the release ofClothes Drop, Shaggy began to increase his number of live performances. In 2006, he was a featured artist on Japanese-American singerAi's song "Famous" alongside Turkish singerYalın from her album,What's Goin' On Ai. The trio performed "Famous" in Los Angeles in 2008.^[16] In March 2007, Shaggy performed the official song of theICC Cricket World Cup 2007, titled "The Game of Love and Unity", alongside Bajan entertainerRupee and Trinidadian soca artistFay-Ann Lyons, at the opening ceremony of the tournament, held at The Greenfield Stadium,Trelawny, Jamaica. Later that year, he leftUniversal Music and released his latest album,Intoxication under his own label, Big Yard Records, with distribution rights byVP Records. In August 2007, he joinedCyndi Lauper live on stage in Singapore for the Sonnet Music Festival, where they performed "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" together. In October 2007, he was awarded the JamaicanOrder of Distinction with the rank ofCommander.^[17]

In January 2008, he completed a six-date arena tour with Belgian singerNatalia. He later performed with bandEn Vogue inAntwerp, to a crowd of 78,000 people. Shaggy also collaborated withArash in the song "Donya" (Arabic & Persian: "دنیا", meaning "The World"). In April 2008, Shaggy was chosen to record the officialanthem for the Mascots (Trix and Flix) of theEuro 2008football tournament held in Austria and Switzerland. The song, "Feel the Rush", topped charts in most of Europe. In June 2008, a live DVD of his concert material was released under the nameShaggy – Live. In July 2008, he appeared onVH1's "I Love the New Millennium", talking about his video "It Wasn't Me". In August 2008, he performed live at theDar es Salaam festival, to mark the Zain Global Brand launch in Tanzania. The concert was held at the Leaders Club. In December 2008,Intoxication was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the51st Grammy Awards.

In May 2009, Shaggy performed at the closing ceremony of the2009 IPL tournament held in South Africa. He also performed at the opening ceremony of the inauguralChampions League Twenty20 in the same month, held inBangalore, India. In August 2009, he performed live at theOttawa Reggae Festival inOttawa, Ontario, Canada. Here he revealed plans for a new single, "Fading Away", which featuredKevin Rudolf andLil Jon. He later cancelled this release in favour of "Fly High", a track featuringGary Pine, which was released on December 5. Shaggy was also invited to perform at the Festival Creole, a festival held every year from November 28 to December 6 in Mauritius.

In January 2010, "Rise Again", a track featuringSean Paul,Sean Kingston,Alison Hinds,Shontelle Layne, Edwin Yearwood,Destra Garcia,David Rudder, Kees Dieffenthaller,Tessanne Chin,Etana and Belo was released to support victims of the2010 Haiti earthquake that struck on January 12. Shaggy's collaboration with the Balkan groupSahara (consisting of the Romanian singerCosti Ioniţă and the Bulgarian singerAndrea) and French House DJBob Sinclar on a track entitled "I Wanna" was a commercial success, released as a single in March 2010 throughout Europe. Shaggy later performed the track several times during Miami's Winter Music Conference in April 2010. In May 2010 he once again performed before cricket audiences at the ICC T20 World Championships, also providing between play performances.

On July 17, 2010, he performed at the Party FM Meja Jam Concert in Country Fair Entertainment Park,Medford, New York. Later that month, he recorded the song "Target" with Japanese reggae singerlecca, which was released on her album,パワーバタフライ (Power Butterfly). Shaggy also released "For Your Eyez Only", which topped reggae charts across the world.^{[citation needed]} Shaggy recorded the song with fellow Jamaican singer Alaine.

In 2011, Shaggy released the official videos for "For Your Eyez Only", along with the hit singles "Sweet Jamaica", featuring Mr. Vegas and Josie Wales, and "Girlz Dem Luv We" featuring Mavado. That same year it was announced that Shaggy would release his first new album in four years. Preceded by the single "Champagne", featuring Sahara, the album was released digitally on January 19, 2011. TitledShaggy & Friends, the album featured many collaborations, including songs with his long-time collaboratorsRikrok andRayvon. A physical release of the album followed. On July 16, 2011, he launched the albumSummer in Kingston which contained his single "Sugarcane".^[18] The album was launched at a free party in Kingston, Jamaica, where he released the video for "Sugarcane". The video was premiered globally on MTV. "Sugarcane" went on to become the number-two best-selling reggae song on the Canadian iTunes chart, and number four in the United States.^{[citation needed]} Shaggy also collaborated withApache Indian on the latter's albumHome Run, on a remix of "Chokthere".

On January 7, 2012, Shaggy released a collaborative single with Egyptian starTamer Hosny, "Smile", with a music video filmed in New York City. In February 2012, he re-released his EP,Summer in Kingston, in the form of theLava Edition, containing two new tracks, one of which was taken from his upcomingSly & Robbie & Shaggy project, plus a remix of the track "Dame" featuring Kat Deluna.

On April 5, 2012, Shaggy released the lead single from his eleventh studio album,Rise. The track, "World Citizen", is a collaboration with European folk singer Jahcoustix, and was a hit all over Europe. Shaggy launched his own label, Ranch Entertainment, on June 4, 2012, at a press launch in New York City. He was joined by label mates Rayvon and Red Fox for the launch, which was publicized by Manhattan-based PR firm,Fox Fuse and publicistRhona Fox. Ranch Entertainment is based in New York and Jamaica.^[19]

On August 24, Shaggy released his new single, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", featuring American female rapperEve. The song samples the homonymous 1983 hit song byCyndi Lauper, written byRobert Hazard in 1979 and recorded and released by Lauper in 1983. The video for the song was directed by Ras Kassa and released on YouTube on June 14, 2012.^[20]

On September 28, Shaggy releasedRise across Europe. The album contains nine of the ten tracks fromSummer in Kingston, as well as new tracks "Rise", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (the second single), "Diva", "World Citizen" (the first single) and "Get Back My Baby", as well as his single from three years previously, "Fly High".^[21]

Shaggy confirmed in January 2012 that he is working on a new studio album, where all of the tracks will be produced by production duoSly and Robbie. A taster track from the album, "Make Up", featuringWayne Wonder, was released in July 2012,^[22] while one of the tracks, "She Gives Me Love", was released early on the Lava edition ofSummer in Kingston. In December 2012, Shaggy confirmed that the album would be released in the summer of 2013. On May 14, 2013, Shaggy released the lead single from the album, entitled "Fight This Feeling", featuringBeres Hammond.^[23] Shaggy started the year with his first live presentation in Costa Rica on January 20.^[24]

Shaggy is credited for persuadingTessanne Chin to compete inNBC's singing competitionThe Voice, which she ultimately won.

In 2015, his single "Habibi (I Need Your Love)", featuringMohombi,Faydee andCosti peaked at 66 on theBillboard Hot 100, as well as charting in several international territories. Shaggy then featured on the track "Black and White", fromKylie Minogue andFernando Garibay's EP,Kylie + Garibay.^[25]

Also in 2015, Shaggy was featured onFarruko's "Sunset" alongsideNicky Jam.

In 2016, he collaborated with French singerMylène Farmer on "City of Love".

January 2018 saw the release of "Don't Make Me Wait", the first single from a collaboration album withSting, who invited him to tour along. The album, titled44/876, was released on April 20, 2018.^[26] In March 2018, the single "Why", featuring Massari, was released.^[27]

In November 2018, Shaggy featured on the title track ofOlly Murs' sixth albumYou Know I Know. In May 2019, Shaggy's albumWah Gwaan?! was released.^[28]

In August 2019, it was announced that Shaggy, alongsideSean Paul, would be headlining the One Love Festival InQueensland slated for February 1, 2020, the first time the festival would be held inAustralia.^[29]

In November 2019, Shaggy played Sebastian in musical television specialThe Little Mermaid Live! on ABC.Also, In 2019, Shaggy collaborated with Indian singerMika Singh on the latter's track "Belly ring".^[30]

In January 2020, Shaggy told theDaily Star in an interview that some of Rihanna's representatives had reached out to him to collaborate on a song for her ninth album. However, he turned down the opportunity because he was asked to audition, saying that he would "leave that to the younger guys". Shaggy later stated in another interview that he meant no offence by his remarks. Despite passing on the project, he seemed optimistic about how it would turn out, saying: "From what I hear, it should be good."^[31]

In April 2020, Shaggy celebrated the 20th anniversary of his 2000 albumHot Shot by announcing an updated version of the album, calledHot Shot 2020. "It Wasn't Me" returned as the first single on the updated album withRayvon. His original collaborator on the song,Rikrok, does not appear on the new version.^[32]

Shaggy, Spice and Sean Paul performed "Go Down Deh" on Good Morning America on June 11, 2021. Their performance was a part of the Caesars Rewards Summer Concert Series.^[33]

On June 15, 2021, Shaggy, Spice and Sean Paul performed "Go Down Deh" onJimmy Kimmel Live as a part of the Mercedez Benz Concert Series.^[34]

On June 18, 2021, Shaggy, Spice and Sean Paul performed live, and was interviewed by Wendy onThe Wendy Williams Show.^[35]

During Caribbean Heritage Month, 2021, Shaggy, Spice and Sean Paul celebrated with "Go Down Deh" on Pix 11I New York.^[36]

On July 1, 2021, International Reggae Day, Shaggy, Spice and Sean Paul were interviewed live on ITV1'sGood Morning Britain.^[37]

In 2022, Shaggy competed inseason seven ofThe Masked Singer as "Space Bunny" of Team Cuddly.^[38] He was eliminated alongsideEn Vogue as the "Queen Cobras" of Team Bad.

On May 28, 2022, Shaggy was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree fromBrown University.^[39]

In 2024, Shaggy's 2001 hit "Angel," featuring Rayvon, was certified Platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for achieving over 600,000 sales and streams in the United Kingdom, as tracked by the Official Charts Company.^[40]

Burrell married his long-term partner Rebecca Packer in 2014 and together they have three daughters.^[41][42] Burrell has two sons from a previous relationship. His son Richard O'Neil Burrell is an American rapper known asRobb Banks.^[43]

In 2022, he received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.^[3]

Shaggy started his philanthropy with a project called Shaggy and Friends, in 2016, donating more than US$1 million, to theBustamante Children's Hospital in Jamaica.^[44] Along with financial assistance to the hospital, he has donated hospital equipment and machinery.^[45] He also did his first collaboration in the Caribbean called "Can't Let My Love Go", which he performed with the "Queen of Soca"Alison Hinds of Barbados.^[46]

• Pure Pleasure (1993)
• Original Doberman (1994)
• Boombastic (1995)
• Midnite Lover (1997)
• Hot Shot (2000)
• Lucky Day (2002)
• Clothes Drop (2005)
• Intoxication (2007)
• Shaggy & Friends (2011)
• Summer in Kingston (2011)
• Rise (2012)
• Out of Many, One Music (2013)
• Wah Gwaan?! (2019)
• Christmas in the Islands (2020)
• Com Fly Wid Mi (2022)

• 44/876 (withSting) (2018)

• Pure Pleasure Tour (1993–94)
• Crazy Cool/Boombastic Tour (withPaula Abdul) (1995–96)
• Midnite Lover Tour (1997–98)
• Saint Lucia Arts & Jazz Festival (withSting) (2023)
• Hot Summer Nights 2023 Tour (withTLC,En Vogue, andSean Kingston) (2023)^[47]

^[49]

^[50]

• Official website
• Shaggy atAllMusic