Whatever Happened To Shaggy?
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, you couldn't turn on a pop radio station without hearing the reggae-infused sounds of Shaggy and his hit songs, "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel." But, by the mid-2000s, the Jamaican-born singer had a hard time charting any of his singles, and now he's pretty much disappeared from all-things Hollywood. Where did Shaggy go? Let's find out.
He created the Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation
Shaggy expanded his philanthropic resume when he created the Make a Difference Foundation, which raises money for children at the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The medical center is the only "full service children's hospital in the English speaking Caribbean," according to the artist's website. The hospital became special to Shaggy after he visited a friend's son there and realized it needed a lot of improvements.
Through the years, Shaggy has made significant contributions to the hospital. He's donated everything from ventilators to a table top sterilizing machine. In fact, according to Billboard, the foundation had raised over $2 million by 2016.
He signed an independent record deal
In early 2016, news broke that Shaggy had a new record deal. According to the Jamaica Star, it's a "multi-album deal" with Brooklyn Knights, a New York based indie label. Shaggy took to his Instagram account to announce his excitement over the newly inked deal. He wrote, "It's on now! I'm so fortunate to be in business with Brooklyn Knights / Sony Red on this new journey."
He got a new management company
Continuing his out with the old, in with the new music renovation, Shaggy also got a new management company in 2016 hen he landed a deal with Compound Entertainment, according to Billboard. The entertainment, marketing and media company's impressive roster also included Ne-Yo at the time (and he's still listed on their roster today).
At the time of writing this, Shaggy's website says he's now signed with International Creative Management but their website doesn't list the reggae singer on their roster.
He opened a cricket tournament
Shaggy got to cross "performing at an international cricket tournament" off his bucket list in early 2017. Along with Ali Zafar and Shahzad Roy, he opened the Pakistan Super League in Dubai and it was a unique performance that he was excited to take part in.
"Cricket has been a national sport in my country Jamaica, so to be a part of this is pretty amazing," he said at a press conference prior to the event.
He dropped a collaboration with Omi
Shaggy's most recent single, "Seasons," is a collaboration with "Cheerleader" singer, Omi. The song may prove that Shaggy is, in fact, back. Case in point: it's already been a success on Spotify, garnering over 750,000 streams in its first week. The music video for the song also had over 700,000 views in less than a month, with many fans reaching out to comment on the visual. Of the 105 comments, most are positive. "Great production," one fan wrote while another added, "This song is so catchy."
His tour was postponed
Even though his single has had success, it's apparently not enough to sell tickets to live shows. Shaggy was scheduled to be part of the Raggamuffin All Stars Tour that was headed for Australia, which included headliners like The Wailers, Marvin Priest, Rik-E-Ragga, Six60 and more. The tour was part of a larger festival, the Raggamuffin Music Festival in New Zealand, which was also postponed.
According to Music Feeds, a tour promoter said they weren't able to sell enough tickets to keep the tour going. Apparently, they hope to keep promoting it and reschedule the shows for sometime in November.
He's headlining a Hawaiian festival
Shaggy's Australian dates may be up in the air but he is scheduled to headline a major reggae festival in the Aloha State. The 48-year-old star is slated to play the MayJah RayJah Music Festival in July along with Soja, Katchafire and more.
"Reggae music has such an influence in Hawaii's culture that we all come together every summer to celebrate its legacy," the festival's official website says. "Festival producers promise to deliver an unforgettable experience and invite fans from all over the world to come and enjoy the great music here in paradise."