Born Orville Richard Burrell and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Shaggy got his start as a club DJ in New York City’s burgeoning dancehall scene soon after moving to Brooklyn in his teens. Not long after serving four years in the U.S. Marines (including two tours of duty in the Middle East as part of Operation Desert Storm), he inked his first record deal and quickly scored a global crossover smash with “Oh Carolina.”
As the only diamond-selling dancehall artist in music history, Shaggy, managed by the Cherrytree Music Company, has sold more than 40 million album units to date, in addition to landing eight singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and seven albums on the Billboard 200 (including four in the top 40). He is among the top 3 streamed reggae artists of all time on Spotify (along with Bob Marley & Sean Paul).
Along with 44/876 (his collaboration with Sting & winner of Best Reggae Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards), Shaggy’s latest projects include his twelfth studio album Wah Gwaan?!, a 2019 release that amassed over four million streams during its first week on Spotify alone and spent a chunk of that year in the Top 10 on Apple’s iTunes Reggae chart. That was followed by the release of Hot Shot 2020, commemorating the 20th anniversary of his diamond-selling album, which included re-recorded, modernized versions of the biggest hits and most beloved fan favorites across Shaggy’s catalog. Last year also saw the massive success of his viral hit, “Banana” with fellow Jamaican artist, Conkarah which amassed over 2 billion streams and spawned 50+ million Tik Tok videos with over 5 billion video views for the #bananadrop challenge!
Shaggy finished out the year with the release of Christmas in the Islands – a quintessential reggae Christmas themed collection that puts a Caribbean twist on traditional Christmas cheer featuring island-infused holiday songs with guest performances from Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Junior Reid, Ne-Yo, Romain Virgo, Ritchie Stephens, Conkarah, Joss Stone & others. The deluxe edition is now available & features 4 newly recorded songs including "Amazing Christmas" featuring up and-coming singer/songwriter/producer, Hannah Brier and a duet with Sting on a reggae version of the classic, “Silent Night” which finds the two close friends collaborating again for the first time since receiving a Best Reggae Album GRAMMY for their joint album ‘44/876.’
Shaggy’s most recent collaboration– “Go Down Deh” with fellow reggae icon Sean Paul and the Queen of Dancehall, Spice - dominated the global reggae charts debuting at #1 on US and Israeli iTunes Reggae, #2 in the UK, Italy and Canada, and Top 10 on Apple Music, iTunes and Deezer in multiple countries including Japan, Jamaica (#1 on Apple Music), Germany and the Netherlands. The iconic Jamaican trio performed their smash hit on a trio of National television shows including Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series (Interview, Go Down Deh Performance & Medley Performance), Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Wendy Williams Show (Interview & Performance). The track, produced by Shaggy, was followed by Spice’s long-awaited debut album, TEN, which Shaggy executive produced. The album recently received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae album.
Shaggy is currently hosting a new weekly radio show, Shaggy’s Yaad, on SiriusXM FLY. The new show features a wide range of contemporary, rare and classic tracks spanning the hip hop, dancehall and reggae genres with insights from Shaggy about the musical history of his Jamaican homeland and its global impact.
Not only a multi-award-winning songwriter and hitmaker, Shaggy has also long used his platform to strengthen his community and homeland. In 2009, he established the Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation and organized the first of many, Shaggy & Friends benefit concerts, which to date have raised millions for the Bustamante Children’s Hospital (the Caribbean’s only English-speaking children’s hospital, located in Kingston).
“I always try to bring the fun when I’m performing, and keep everything very lighthearted and joyous,” says Shaggy. “I think my purpose and my job is to bring joy to as many people as I can, and I want that to resonate within all of the music that I create.”