Oregon daily emerald., January 24, 2001, Page 6, Image 18

A Kinder, Gentler Shaggy? You bet.
Steamtunnels talks to the dancehall king about his hit CD Hot Shot
By Thomas Gibson
Shaggy, the Jamaican born, U.S.-bred
dancehall king, has come out of a two
year hibernation reflecting on his unexpected
popularity with a sizzling new album, Hot
Shot (MCA).
Though he has lived his entire adult life
in the U.S., Shaggy’s roots are in Kingston,
Jamaica, where he was born Orville Richard
Burrell on October 22, 1968. As a kid, his
friends nicknamed him “Shaggy” after the
cartoon character on “Scooby Doo.” Music
was his passion, even as a boy growing up on
the island nation.
“Reggae isn’t a radio format in Jamaica,”
he says. “They just play what they want, so
my influences range from ska, dancehall and
rock steady to soca and R&B.”
Shaggy began pursuing a musical career
when he moved to Brooklyn, NY at the age
of 18. He got a major boost when “Mampie”
and “Big Up,” both hard-core Shaggy dance
hall tracks, hit #1 on the New York reggae
charts. After a frustrating year of trying to
find more work, Shaggy finally joined the
U.S. Marines in 1988. A few years later, he
found himself in the Iraqi desert fighting in
the Gulf War.
“War is ugly,” Shaggy says. “It had a big
impact on me, in terms of appreciating life.
When I got out I decided, This is it, I'm tak
ing my music to the heights.’” And so he did
with Hot Shot, which has soared up the reg
gae charts.
In its thirteen tracks, Hot Shot proves
that Shaggy is a master of many styles—
from reggae and
dancehall to
pop/R&B—a talent
that makes his discs
happy hunting
grounds for every
kind of music fan.
Hot Shot came
out back in August,
and the first track
released—“It
Wasn’t Me”—a
catchy, yet melan
choly tune featur
ing Ricardo
“RikRok” Ducent,
propelled the CD
to gold status.
“I want my
songs to tell a story,
to be funny and fun
at the same time,”
says Shaggy, who is
known for his sexu
Shaggy is a
master of
many styles—
from reggae
and dancehall
to pop/R&B—a
talent that
makes his discs
happy hunting
grounds for
every kind of
music fan.
ally provocative
lyrics and head bouncing beats. “This album
is a rollercoaster ride. I wanted to show many
different sides of my musical personality,"
Shaggy adds.
“I always want to make different styles of
music. We try to evolve at the end of the day.
I’ve always strived to be best; we make music
to make music.” Shaggy’s music has always
been far reaching. His first single, “Oh
Carolina," became a sensation in the U.K., but
it was “Boombastic” that gave American audi
ences their first dose of the singsong master.
Currently, Shaggy is on the back end of a
two-month concert tour, but he says he loves
the adventure of spreading his music to far
away lands and cherishes the excitement
from his fans.
“If you don't know me yet, come to a
Shaggy concert. I guarantee, when you leave,
you’ll be a Shaggy fan,” he promises. •
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