Shaggy (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shaggy CD
Shaggy performing in 2018
Born	Orville Richard Burrell (1968-10-22) October 22, 1968 (age 56) Kingston, Jamaica
Citizenship	Jamaica United States
Occupation	Musician singer deejay songwriter
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Packer ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	5, including Robb Banks
Musical career
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Reggae dancehall hip hop reggae fusion
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	EMI Virgin MCA Geffen Universal Big Yard Ranch VP
Associated acts	Arash Rayvon Sting International Brian and Tony Gold TonyGold Costi RedFox Sting Major Lazer Ne-Yo Tamer Hosny Sean Paul Faydee Mohombi Spice

Orville Richard Burrell (born October 22, 1968), known as Shaggy, is a famous Jamaican-American reggae musician. He is best known for his hit songs like "It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic", and "Angel".

Shaggy has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and won twice for Best Reggae Album. He won with Boombastic in 1996 and with 44/876 (with Sting) in 2019. In 2002, he also won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist.

In 2007, he received the Jamaican Order of Distinction as a Commander. In 2022, he was given an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.

Early Life and Military Service

Shaggy during his time in the United States Marine Corps.

Orville Richard Burrell was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 22, 1968. When he was 18, he moved to New York City with his mother.

In 1988, Shaggy joined the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Persian Gulf War. While in the Marines, he developed his unique "toasting" voice, which is a style of chanting or talking over music.

Music Career Highlights

Starting in the 1990s

Shaggy decided to focus on his music career. His first big hit was "Oh Carolina" in 1993. This song was a dancehall remake of an older ska hit. It was even featured in the movie Sliver.

He worked with several producers to create his unique sound. In 1995, he had another huge hit with "Boombastic". This song became very popular, even being used in a Levi's jeans commercial.

Hot Shot Album Success (2000)

In 1999, Shaggy signed with MCA Records and released his album Hot Shot in 2000. This album included two massive hit singles: "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel".

Both songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. They were also huge hits around the world, topping charts in the UK, Ireland, and France. Hot Shot became a very successful album, selling millions of copies.

In 2001, Shaggy performed "Angel" and "It Wasn't Me" at Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary celebration.

More Music and Collaborations (2002–2009)

Shaggy continued to release music, and his albums remained popular, especially outside the United States. He recorded the theme song for the 2002 Scooby-Doo movie, called "Shaggy, Where Are You?". He also made the theme for the movie Showtime.

In 2002, Shaggy teamed up with Ali G for the song "Me Julie". This song was part of the Ali G Indahouse movie soundtrack and was a big hit in the UK.

Shaggy was featured on the album True Love by Toots and the Maytals. This album won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2004. Many famous musicians were also on the album, like Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton.

He performed the official song for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 called "The Game of Love and Unity". He also performed with Cyndi Lauper in Singapore in 2007. In 2008, Shaggy recorded "Feel the Rush," the official anthem for the Euro 2008 football tournament. This song was a hit across Europe.

Music in the 2010s

Shaggy in 2006

In 2010, Shaggy released "Rise Again" to help victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. This song featured many artists, including Sean Paul and Sean Kingston. He also had a commercial hit with "I Wanna" with the group Sahara and DJ Bob Sinclar.

In 2011, Shaggy released his album Shaggy & Friends, which included many collaborations. He also released Summer in Kingston, featuring the single "Sugarcane." The video for "Sugarcane" premiered globally on MTV.

In 2012, Shaggy released "Smile" with Egyptian star Tamer Hosny. He also started his own music label called Ranch Entertainment. Later that year, he released "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" with rapper Eve. This song sampled the classic hit by Cyndi Lauper.

Shaggy encouraged Tessanne Chin to compete in the singing show The Voice, which she ended up winning. In 2015, his song "Habibi (I Need Your Love)" with Mohombi, Faydee, and Costi was popular.

In 2018, Shaggy released a collaboration album with Sting called 44/876. They also went on tour together. In 2019, Shaggy played Sebastian in the TV musical The Little Mermaid Live!.

Recent Years (2020s)

In 2020, Shaggy celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Hot Shot album by releasing an updated version called Hot Shot 2020.

In 2021, Shaggy, Spice, and Sean Paul performed their song "Go Down Deh" on popular TV shows like Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

In 2022, Shaggy appeared on The Masked Singer as "Space Bunny." He also received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.

In 2024, his 2001 hit "Angel" was certified Platinum in the UK, meaning it had over 600,000 sales and streams.

Personal Life

Shaggy married Rebecca Packer in 2014, and they have three daughters together. He also has two sons from a previous relationship. One of his sons, Richard O'Neil Burrell, is an American rapper known as Robb Banks.

Giving Back to the Community

Philanthropy

Shaggy is also known for his charity work. In 2016, he started a project called Shaggy and Friends. Through this, he has donated over US$1 million to the Bustamante Children's Hospital in Jamaica. He has provided both money and important medical equipment to the hospital. He also collaborated with Alison Hinds on the song "Can't Let My Love Go" to support his charitable efforts.

Discography

Selected Studio Albums

• Pure Pleasure (1993)
• Original Doberman (1994)
• Boombastic (1995)
• Midnite Lover (1997)
• Hot Shot (2000)
• Lucky Day (2002)
• Clothes Drop (2005)
• Shaggy & Friends (2011)
• Summer in Kingston (2011)
• Rise (2012)
• Out of Many, One Music (2013)
• Wah Gwaan?! (2019)
• Christmas in the Islands (2020)
• Com Fly Wid Mi (2022)

Collaborative Albums

• 44/876 (with Sting) (2018)

Tours

Concert Tours

• Pure Pleasure Tour (1993–94)
• Crazy Cool/Boombastic Tour (with Paula Abdul) (1995–96)
• Midnite Lover Tour (1997–98)
• Saint Lucia Arts & Jazz Festival (with Sting) (2023)
• Hot Summer Nights 2023 Tour (with TLC, En Vogue, and Sean Kingston) (2023)

Film and TV Appearances

Awards and Nominations

Shaggy has won many awards for his music. Here are some of them:

Selected Grammy Awards

American Music Awards

Billboard Music Awards

Juno Awards

Images for kids

• 

  Sting and Shaggy performing together

See also

In Spanish: Shaggy para niños