Whatever happened to Shaggy, the 90s reggae star?

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 ‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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’ combined sampled melodies from ‘Angel of the Morning’ by Chip Taylor and ‘The Joker’ by the Steve Miller Band. The song instantly sounded familiar.

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.

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.

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.

In 1995/1996, Burrell toured with Paula Abdul. In 2023, he toured with fan favourite En Vogue, TLC, and Sean Kingston.

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.

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.

In the 22nd season of ‘The Masked Singer,’ Burrell competed in the disguise of ‘Space Bunny.’ He was eliminated in week 9.

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.

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.