About
Jamaican born and Brooklyn raised, Shaggy first entered the pop charts with his 1993 remake of the reggae classic "Oh Carolina." Sampling the Peter Gunn theme and treating the lyrics with his self-named "dog-a-muffin" style, Shaggy charmed the charts and soon found himself signed to Virgin Records for an unprecedented wad of cash. The investment paid off in 1995, when "Boombastic" (off the album of the same name) became a ubiquitous hit both in the U.S. and abroad, as Shaggy boasted of his sexual prowess in his signature growl. But his following release didn't fare as well, and Virgin dropped him, assuming they had a one-hit wonder whose hit was spent. The move was disastrous for them but it proved to be a boon to MCA, who snapped him up and hit pay dirt when 2000's Hot Shot ended up selling over six million copies, mostly on the strength of the phenomenally successful single "It Wasn't Me." Though his follow-up, 2002's Lucky Day, didn't produce a hit on the order of "It Wasn't Me," it still performed well -- and Shaggy, with his randy persona and witty lyricism, always seems to find his way back to the charts.
- Sarah Bardeen
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