Mr. ‘Lover Lover’, Shaggy, is known for his baritone and several hit songs. But it has emerged that his distinctive voice has a history.
In a recent video on TikTok, Shaggy spoke about how he came by the voice and how different he sounded on other songs.
“I got this voice by mocking drill instructors in the military because, in the Marines, the drill instructors would go like…hey boy drop and give me 20 (in a baritone)…Let’s go, boy. and I would mock him as a form of joke because it motivated the platoon.
“I just sang that song in that voice because, you know, it sounded cool, and all of a sudden, Oh Carolina blew up…And now I’m faced with a situation where I’m gonna have to sing every song like that. If you listen to songs, like Big up or Mampie, those songs are sung in a different voice than Oh Carolina, he explained
The Jamaican rapper and singer (born Orville Richard Burrell in October 1968) is celebrated for his infectious Jamaican-inspired rhythms. Songs like It Wasn’t Me, Boombastic, In the Summertime, and Angel readily come to mind.
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He was born in Kingston before moving to New York City at the age of 18 with his mother.
Before starting music, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1988 and obtained the MOS of 0811 (Field Artillery Cannon Crewman).
He served with a Field Artillery Battery in the 10th Marine Regiment during the Persian Gulf War, reaching the rank of lance corporal, as he had been reduced in rank twice.
It was during his service in the Marine Corps that he perfected his voice and decided to pursue his music, dropping his first hit, Oh Carolina in 1993.
He won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic in 1996 and 44/876 with British singer Sting in 2019. He also won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002.
In November 2023, the Strength of a Woman crooner launched a broadcasting channel, ‘Shaggy’s Boombastic Radio’, available to listeners in the United States. The channel is on SiriusXM, a satellite radio service that covers the United States and Canada.
Shaggy, announced on his Facebook page last year, asking listeners to tune into the new “exclusive year-round” channel which features reggae, dancehall, and Afrobeats tracks.