Whatever happened to Shaggy, the 90s reggae star?
An icon of the 1990s
This reggae fusion singer captured our radios and hearts in the 1990s. His distinct voice is easily identified in every musical collaboration. What's Sh ag gy's story, and where did he go?
Born in Kingston, Jamaica
Born ‘Orville Richard Burrell’ on October 22, 1968, the singer moved to the United States with his mother when he was 18. They settled in New York City.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
In 1988, Burrell began his military service. During the Persian Gulf War, he served in the 10th Marine Regiment. He achieved the ranking of ‘lance corporal’ but was demoted in rank twice.
In 1995, Burrell gave us ‘Boombastic’
His first hit song was ‘Oh Carolina’ in 1993. Then, in 1995, came 'Boombastic.' The catchy song features Burrell playfully boasting about his s e x appeal. ‘Boombastic’ was an international success and Burrell’s most popular song to date.
He won his first Grammy award in 1996
The album ‘Boombastic’ won the singer the award for best Reggae album. He won his second Grammy Award for the album ‘44/876’ in 2019.
The album ‘Hot Shot’ was released in 2000
Sh ag gy's career did not end with the '90s. His album ‘Hot Shot’ produced two very successful tracks. First of all, the song 'It Wasn’t Me.' The track was a collaboration with Rickardo "RikRok" Ducent, and the two men portrayed a conversation between two friends discussing how to respond to your girlfriend when you’ve been caught cheating.
‘Angel’ was the other big hit from ‘Hot Shot’
‘Angel’ combined sampled melodies from ‘Angel of the Morning’ by Chip Taylor and ‘The Joker’ by the Steve Miller Band. The song instantly sounded familiar.
Where did he go after 'It Wasn't Me'?
In 2014, Burrell married his partner Rebecca Packer. The couple share three daughters. Burrell is also the father of two sons from a previous relationship.
His son Richard followed in his musical footsteps
Sh ag gy's son Richard Burrell was born in 1994. He is a rap artist whose stage name is ‘Robb Banks.’ His most recent album ‘Falconia’ was released in 2022.
The reggae singer donates his time and talent to charitable causes
In 2016, Burrell created the ‘Sh ag gy and Friends’ project for his philanthropic work. His charity has raised money for a Jamaican Children’s hospital and has donated medical equipment.
Burrell has toured and collaborated with many musical artists
In 1995/1996, Burrell toured with Paula Abdul. In 2023, he toured with fan favourite En Vogue, TLC, and Sean Kingston.
Burrell and Sting collaborated on the album ‘44/876’ in 2018
Perhaps in the most unexpected of collaborations, Burrell and English singer ‘Sting’ produced a Grammy-winning Reggae album in 2018. It was named after the telephone calling codes for each of their home countries.
He received an honorary doctorate
In 2022, Brown University presented the singer with an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree alongside other leaders like U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
He was on ‘The Masked Singer’
In the 22nd season of ‘The Masked Singer,’ Burrell competed in the disguise of ‘Space Bunny.’ He was eliminated in week 9.
His most recent album was released in 2022
On his album ‘Com Fly Wid Mi,’ the singer recorded the beloved songs of Frank Sinatra in Reggae style. It got him another Grammy nomination in 2023 for best Reggae album.
Sh ag gy keeps doing what he loves
While Burrell does not have the same notoriety as he did in the 1990s and early 2000s, he shows no signs of slowing down in the music industry. Shaggy and Sting came together again to launch their ‘One Fine Day’ music festival in Philadelphia in September of 2023.
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