Orville Richard Burrell, or, as the world knows him, Shaggy, has some of the catchiest, most recognisable songs of all time, and has remained at the top of his game for over thirty years. Having sold around 40 million records worldwide over his illustrious career, even today on Spotify, Shaggy remains in the top three for his genre. And now he’s finally coming to Dubai to play at the Coca Cola Arena this weekend on May 11.
Calling in from New York, Shaggy talked to Esquire Middle East about his musical influences, fighting Bob Marley on MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch, and whether or not “it was(n’t) him”.
Esquire: How does it feel listening back to your collection of timeless hits, and how did they change your life when they first came out?
Shaggy: They’re life changing because suddenly you’re being put into arenas where some of your heroes are now suddenly your peers. These people that you grew up listening to and watching on television, all of a sudden they’re your coworkers, and they know your name. That was a big shock. And when Boombastic happened, that was the first dance/reggae record to debut at number one. So now not only are you a hit maker, but you’re a culture shifter. And a lot of artists have hits, but not many have monster hits in their catalogue. And even today, when I look at my Spotify listeners demographic, a lot of them are in their teens and twenties, so I just look at everything as an incredible blessing.
Esquire: When you’re walking and randomly hear one of your songs playing from a speaker, does it ever lose its novelty and its effect?
Shaggy: It’s nice to still be relevant, you know? On Spotify, in my genre, it’s literally me and Sean Paul…and Bob Marley of course. So to still be competitive at this age, is wonderful.
“James Brown once told me I’ll never be broke because I have my talent, and those words have stuck with me forever.”
Shaggy
Esquire: Growing up in the MTV generation, Celebrity Deathmatch was huge. In one episode, you fight Bob Marley. What’d you think about that at the time?
Shaggy: You mean the one when Bob Marley kicked my ass?! (laughs) If Bob kicks my ass, it’s okay. If it was Sean Paul, I may have a problem.
Esquire: What were some of your earliest influences?
Shaggy: Seeing Yellowman at Skateland for the first time really spoke to me. That’s what solidified my need to be in music. I went on tour in the Caribbean with The Fugees, and that was so eye opening to see how Clef commanded the crowd, his stage presence. It was a lesson for me. And then touring with James Brown, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, a whole bunch of icons. These are my heroes, and James Brown gave me a whole lecture on my craft, and how unique he thought my sound was. He told me I’ll never be broke because I have my talent, and those are words that have stuck with me forever. And even Michael Jackson one time. I was so surprised by how well he knew my records – he knew everything.
Esquire: How did that feel? Hearing that from Michael?
Shaggy: It was crazy, because he’s one of my idols. And I remember seeing him on the side of the stage when we played at Madison Square Garden and just thinking that this guy was so tiny. Because in my head he’s this giant, and then in front of you he’s just…small.
Esquire: What is the best crowd you’ve ever played in front of?
Shaggy: I normally like crowds from more rural places, because they’re more excited. They don’t get a lot of action, so I’m always up for doing weird places. My crew will always ask me like “what? We’re going to Afghanistan?” And I’m just like yup, let’s go. I’m up for shit like that. One night we played Beirut, and literally the next day they bombed the venue (laughs). Still, I love going to these places.
Esquire: Wow. You’re a real wild man.
Shaggy: Listen, man. I’m in the service industry. We’re all servants. Don’t get ahead of yourself. All these songs I’ve written have come from a higher power, and I’m simply the vessel through which they come. You come here with nothing and you’re leaving with nothing. Each person that works on my tour, that’s an electric bill. A school fee. A mortgage. A college fund. One of the kids to somebody who may work on my tour might be able to afford college and then that kid may find the cure for cancer. We’re just part of a puzzle, man. None of it is you. It’s like you’re building a house, and you need a hammer or cement. That’s all I am. One of the tools needed to build a house, to build the bigger picture. ‘It Wasn’t Me’ was my hammer used to build a roof.
Esquire: I imagine many people come up to you asking questions, hoping you’ll respond “it wasn’t me.” What’s the craziest one of those moments you’ve had?
Shaggy: Oh, man. Every day. But the funniest one was a pregnant woman came up to me for a photo, and I pointed to her belly and said “it wasn’t me,” and her husband pulled up on the curb in his car and said “it better not be!”
