Shaggy

Artist Image: Shaggy
Attribution
Image Credit: Raph_PH (https://www.flickr.com/photos/raph_ph/27885225668/in/album-72157695502428854/), CC BY 2.0

Biography

Orville Richard Burrell (born October 22, 1968), better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American Grammy Award-winning reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me". He has been noted as having a baritone-range singing voice, and he is easily identifiable by his signature slurred rapping and vocal style. He is said to have taken his nickname from his shaggy hair. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, at the age of 18 his family moved to the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York, from Jamaica. In 1987, he took singing courses in Brooklyn and was discovered a year later, while singing in the streets with friends. In 1988, he joined the United States Marine Corps as a Field Artillery Cannon Crewman with "S" Battery, 5th Battalion 10th Marines. While enlisted in the Marines he served during Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War. It was during this time that Shaggy perfected his signature singing voice, breaking the constant monotony of running and marching cadences with his flair for inflection. It is also where he got the inspiration for his song "Boombastic". He then had a major comeback in 2000, with big hit album Hot Shot, which was certified 6x Platinum in the U.S. The album featured worldwide number-one hit singles "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel", the latter of which was built around two song samples - Merrilee Rush's 1968 hit "Angel of the Morning" (which was remade in 1981 by Juice Newton), and The Steve Miller Band's 1973 hit "The Joker". The album hit number one on the Billboard 200 and UK albums chart.However, his 2002 release Lucky Day, and the 2005 album Clothes Drop, failed to match Hot Shot's success, although Lucky Day still went gold. The albums, however, found success in Europe, especially with heavy airplay for the single "Hey Sexy Lady". Shaggy remade the Scooby-Doo theme song on the soundtrack titled "Shaggy, Where Are You?". Shaggy also recorded the theme for the 2002 movie Showtime. Shaggy's last top 40 single in the US was "Angel" from the album Hot Shot.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed
Number of Albums 93
Record Label
Website shaggyonline.com
Wikipedia Shaggy on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

How many Grammy Awards has he won?

twice

...He has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic in 1996 and 44876 with Sting in 2019, and has won t...
When did he win the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist?

2002

...n 2019, and has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002 . In 2007, he was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank...
In what year was he awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction?

2007

...nd has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002. In 2007 , he was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Comma...
When was Burrell awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University?

2022

...awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander. In 2022 , he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown Univer...
On what date did Burrell be born?

October 22, 1968

... degree from Brown University. Early life edit Burrell was born on October 22, 1968 , in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1987, he took singing lessons and was di...
In 1987, Burrell took what kind of lessons?

singing

...ll was born on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1987, he took singing lessons and was discovered a year later while singing in the streets w...
In what year did Shaggy take singing lessons?

1987

...life edit Burrell was born on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1987 , he took singing lessons and was discovered a year later while singing i...
What was Shaggy's son known as?

Robb Banks

...riends. His son Richard O'Neil Burrell is an American rapper known as Robb Banks . In 2022, he received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Bro...
When did Shaggy enlist in the US Marine Corps?

1988

...ilitary career edit Shaggy enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1988 and obtained the MOS of 0811 (Field Artillery Cannon Crewman). The highe...
What was the highest rank Shaggy achieved?

lance corporal

... (Field Artillery Cannon Crewman). The highest rank he achieved was lance corporal , although he was reduced in rank twice. Shaggy perfected his signat...
Burrell's mother migrated to where?

Brooklyn, New York

...ternational Male Solo Artist in 2002. Burrells mother migrated to Brooklyn, New York where he grew up. In 1988, after seeing his friends arrested, he ...
What was the name of the album released in 1997?

Midnight Love

...ss in many countries including Ireland, Sweden, the UK, and Australia. The next album was Midnight Love (1997); however, it failed to make the charts....
Shaggy has been certified with what degree?

platinum and a gold

... positions. He is an excellent artist who has been certified with platinum and a gold degree. He is best recognized through several hit songs such as ...
What popular children's cartoon show did Shaggy come from?

ScoobyDoo

...ed after the character Shaggy from the popular children's cartoon show ScoobyDoo . His mother worked as a medical secretary. His parents relocated to B...
Where did his parents relocate when he was seven years old?

Brooklyn, New York City

... mother worked as a medical secretary. His parents relocated to Brooklyn, New York City and settled there when he was seven years old. In 1987, Shaggy...
Shaggy enlisted in what military career?

United States Marine Corps

...r known as Robb Banks. Military career Shaggy enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1988 and obtained the MOS of 0811 (Field Artillery Cannon ...
When did Shaggy decide to pursue his music career?

1990s

...s signature singing voice while he was in the Marine Corps. Music career 1990s Shaggy decided to pursue his music career and his first hit in 1993, Oh...
What was Shaggy's first hit?

Oh Carolina

... Shaggy decided to pursue his music career and his first hit in 1993, Oh Carolina , was a dancehall remake of a ska hit by the Folkes Brothers, which a...
Who's hip hop album did Shaggy appear on?

Kenny Dope

... which appeared in the film Sliver. The same year, Shaggy appeared on Kenny Dope 's hip hop album The Unreleased Project. He had further big hits, incl...
What was the theme tune of a popular Levi's commercial?

Boombastic

... hop album The Unreleased Project. He had further big hits, including Boombastic in 1995, the theme tune of a popular Levi's commercial, and sang with...
When did Shaggy emerge as the biggest crossover success in dancehall reggae?

early '90s

...Shaggy emerged in the early '90s as the biggest crossover success in dancehall reggae. While he wasn't shy about lifting hooks wholesale from pop hits...
Who did Shaggy collaborate with on the 2018 album?

Sting

...even greater success. In another unusual crossover, he collaborated with Sting on the 2018 duo album 44876, before returning to solo work with 2019's ...
When was Shaggy born?

Kingston, Jamaica

...?! Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica , and was nicknamed after the ScoobyDoo character. At age 18, he j...
How old was he when he joined his mother in music?

18

...ingston, Jamaica, and was nicknamed after the ScoobyDoo character. At age 18 , he joined his mother in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York, and soo...
What was the name of the local Jamaican style sound system that Shaggy joined?

Gibraltar Musik

...and soon began performing with the local Jamaicanstyle sound system Gibraltar Musik . A steady income proved to be a more pressing matter, however, and...
What was the name of Shaggy's 1988 record?

Mampie

...he drive back to New York for recording sessions. One of those records, Mampie , became a huge hit among New York reggae fans; its followup, Big Up, wa...
Who did Shaggy have a duet with in New York?

Rayvon

...lar locally, and marked the first of several duets with Brooklyn singer Rayvon . However, Shaggy still had obligations to the military, and his budding...
When was Operation Desert Storm?

1991

...gations to the military, and his budding career was interrupted by Operation Desert Storm in 1991 ; he was sent to Kuwait for a fivemonth tour of duty....
Where was he sent in 1991?

Kuwait

...gations to the military, and his budding career was interrupted by Operation Desert Storm in 1991; he was sent to Kuwait for a fivemonth tour of duty....
How long did he serve in Kuwait?

fivemonth

...gations to the military, and his budding career was interrupted by Operation Desert Storm in 1991; he was sent to Kuwait for a fivemonth tour of duty....
How many huge hits did Shaggy have?

two

...widespread popularity with funloving American audiences. Yet Shaggy, with two huge hits and several successful album releases in the 1990s and early 2...
Shaggy's humor and sense of humor endeared him to whom?

ordinary music fans

...layed a pop sensibility and a sense of humor that endeared him to ordinary music fans in the United States and beyond. After growing up in Jamaicas vi...
What was his mother's job?

medical secretary

...yn, New York, where his mother was already living and working as a medical secretary . Attending high school just as rap music was exploding in popular...
After graduating high school, what style of toasting put him in high demand?

Jamaicanstyle

...s rap music was exploding in popularity, he found that his skills at Jamaicanstyle toasting, a style that in fact was one of raps forerunners, put him...
Where was the Marine base located?

North Carolina

...e long hours into the night between New York and his Marine base in North Carolina . With the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1991 he was sent to Iraq. The...
What was the name of the 1999 film that starred George Clooney?

Three Kings

...quired of the U.S. forces by writing a stock of new songs. The atmosphere was kind of like Three Kings , a 1999 film that starred actor George Clooney....
Shaggy joined the United States Marines for what reason?

He thought it was a way out of poverty and a vacation from the harsh streets of Brooklyn

...ned the United States Marines. He thought it was a way out of poverty and a vacation from the harsh streets of Brooklyn , but was misled and found hims...
What kind of music did he first record?

New York street tunes

... armored HumVee tank through an Iraqi minefield. While he had been in the Gulf, the New York street tunes he had first recorded made him a local star....