| | Shaggy's music is decidedly Jamaican |
Dancehall was developed as a novelty genre. While reggae artists Bob Marley and Pete Tosh wrote about ‘One Love’ or ‘Shitstem’ respectively and ska spawned an often militant punk offshoot, it was vocal about wine, women and money.
Dancehall, in its 30-year history, has eschewed these trivialities for only two subjects, which (unfortunately) are homophobia and violence. Several times in the past decade, its artists have spoken about their anti-homosexual beliefs and written lyrics that plead with listeners to assault homosexuals.
Unbelievable as it may seem to confer upon an artist as flippant as Orville Richard Burrell aka Shaggy the job of spokesperson for a genre as wide as dancehall, it is necessary. Not only is he innocent of homophobia, his street credentials are admirable.
Burrell was raised in Ray Town, one of the roughest neighbourhoods in Jamaica. As a teenager, he moved to another rough vicinity, Brooklyn, with his single mother. While the States had a major impact on him, he made sure his music was decidedly Jamaican. He performed with the local Jamaican-style sound system Gibraltar Musik, but was not successful.
Choosing to earn a steady income, he joined the Marines at 20. He served for four years, and even credits the Marines with helping him find his voice. But the army also served as a hindrance. Two of his singles – ‘Mampie’ and ‘Big Up’ – received some recognition, but a quick follow-up was not possible as Shaggy was posted for six months in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
After his return, though, Shaggy took his music very seriously. He recorded a dancehall version of ‘Oh Carolina’, which found some success. But the record that brought him into the scene was the duet with Maxi Priest, ‘One More Chance’. In 1992, he signed a deal with Virgin Records.
|
|
