Shaggy Meets the Press

Rik Rok, Robert Livingstone, Shaggy & Ravon meet media men Shaggy gave an interesting account of himself, his career among other pertinent discussions in a Meet The Press session at his M-Plaza Hotel base which was held today.

This time clad in a sport shirt, the style of his native Jamaican national football team, his answer to Ghana Music.Com?s Verus? question as to what he thinks is the reason why African musicians are finding it impossibly difficult to break into the international market, Shaggy said ?It is not at all easy, don?t forget that reggae didn?t have it that easy. The fight, I would say, started way back, even before Bob Marley touched down?. ?My candid advice? Shaggy said ?is that Africa needs artists that are exclusively creative enough to do what they have not already seen. Then they will pay attention and listen? he ends his sermon.

You turned 35 last October, meaning that apart from other industry headaches, you should be facing old age soon, in a career invariably dominated by younger acts, when it will be appropriate to hang back the microphone. I asked Shaggy.

?It is a very important question in a life of any showbiz act. For me, what ever I do today, if it should end tomorrow, I would always thank God. I will consider then as my destiny, but in the meantime I have enough energy left in me to do a few more albums?, Shaggy looks into the future.

Jon Germain of Metro TV interviews Shaggy When do we expect the next Shaggy album, give us dates and working titles. ?Very soon, I?m so sorry I can?t give titles now. All I can assure you is that my album should hit the world in March this year?. He said.

On a lighter note, I asked Shaggy if, in real life, he would have given a friend the same advice as he gave Ricardo Ducent on Hot Shot?s hit ?It Wasn?t Me?, when Rik Rok was caught by his girlfriend with the girl next door both butt naked banging on the bathroom floor.

There was a long laugh before he said, ?I might change my mind?. When I asked Rik Rok same question later on, he told me that he would have given the same advice if he were in Shaggy?s shoe?s but this time round it probably would have been phrased differently.

?I?d ask him to run, head for the hill and never even to confront her?.
Rik Rok advised. Shaggy said his biggest selling album so far has been Hot Shot (2000). ?It done over 12 million copies worldwide?, he informed me.

Catch the full interview and response to other answers to questions posed by other pressmen at the Press Conference given by Shaggy. It will be posted here very soon, stay connected.

If you have any comment or question about this story, please send it to Verus@ghanamusic.com.