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April 08, 2008
Named after one but Shaggy is no cartoon
By: Joseph Cunningham
Shaggy was the nickname given to a Jamaican youth, Orville Burrell, by
friends during his teenage years, when his hair bore a similarity to the cartoon character, Scooby Doo.
Today, when the word Shaggy is mentioned, the famous Jamaican Reggae singer comes to mind, preceding that of the fictitious cartoon character. Orville Burrell 'Shaggy,' has to date released six albums, two of which sold multi-platinum. Five were number one hits and eleven tracks made it as top ten singles in the world. Having exceeded sales of 10 million, the Grammy winning artist is Jamaica's only living "Diamond" selling entertainer.
In the early 1990's Shaggy came on the scene with his remix of the Ska classic 'Oh Carolina'. Soon after, the release of "Boombastic" solidified Shaggy as a dancehall hit-maker winning the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.
When the album, "Hotshot" was released in late 2000, it quickly became the best-selling album in 2001, selling over 13 million albums world wide and topping charts in the US, UK, Germany and Australia. The album was certified platinum seven times in Canada and six times in the US. The album featured the mega hits, "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel."
In 2005 he released "Clothes Drop," a Dancehall album which featured the singles "Wild2Nite" and "Ready Fi Di Ride" both of which climbed well on European charts. After a semi-hiatus in 2006, he returned in 07 with the Dancehall banger, "Church Heathen," which dominated the hardcore Dancehall scene. This spoke volumes for his versatility.
Shaggy has sold in excess of 20 million albums, and his most recent single, "What's Love," featuring Akon will only serve to further solidify him as one of the world's greatest recording artists.