Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Staff Reporter 
Shaggy's 'Clothes Drop' is up for a Grammy. – Claudine Housen Photo
"IF I win this one, it
will be just another spot pon mi mantle fi collect dust."
So says Shaggy about his recent Grammy nomination. That was enough indication that The Sunday Gleaner team had better get strapped in for the ride.
In fact, he is in the corner of another nominee.
He says though he stands a good chance of winning, like everyone else in the category, if he had it his way the winners would be Third World.
"If I have it my way, me think say Third World shoulda get it... Because me have one, Sean have one, Damian have one, Spear have one, so make Third World have one so that at least when you go through your career, you can say 'you know wha happen, me did get one ah dem thing deh'... I don't know what kind of reaction Third World would feel at this point, because they have been in the game for so long and then to finally receive it now. But ah dem me ah root for; I hope seh dem win," Shaggy said.
"They are a part of our foundation, the essence of reggae music that we come from ... When you look at Now That We've Found Love, 96 Degrees (In the Shade), all dem tune deh a big tune. The man dem all do a song with Stevie Wonder and it top the charts and no one recognise them then, and ah nuh fi dem fault, because the system fall inna a error where nobody was recognising them."
OBSTACLES IN MAKING ALBUM
Shaggy spoke not only about his recent Grammy nomination for his album Clothes Drop which has not been released commercially and yet has sold over 300,000 copies but also about the many obstacles he overcame to make the album.
Orville Richard Burrell, better known as Shaggy, became one of the front-runners of dancehall music after the 1995 release of his second album, Boombastic. The ex-marine-turned-young-deejay's baritone voice had a distinct flow that his fans loved and, with the release of Boombastic, Shaggy had an immediate hit on his hands. As a result, he won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in that year.
He says that was one of his happiest moments, but says it didn't give him any additional benefits in the industry.
"No sah, a Grammy nuh do nuttin. A hit record changes your life. A hit record does a lot for you. A Grammy, in my opinion, doesn't do a thing. Sure it adds to your accolades, but that's it ... A Grammy doesn't have anything to do with the price of your show, with your signing, more points, more royalties. I wish it did, but it doesn't," he said.
So what does he have to say of his recent nomination? Shaggy says the adrenalin rush isn't there anymore; as a matter of fact, he doesn't even know where the Grammy he already has is.
"The first time I was really excited. Don't get me wrong enuh; me naw knock other artistes ah get it, but for me the nostalgia is over. But for other people I can understand. They are new into this, to receive music's highest honour is a moment of excitement. It's a moment of achievement and being appreciated by their peers, but for me, I've been there, done that and it's kinda worn off...," Shaggy said.
"...My granny always say work for the reward, not the award. The award can collect dust and use fi kotch yuh door ... My first Grammy, me cyaan find it. I honestly don't even know which part it deh. Me is not an award person ... Me go deh go dress up and take picture, that's the best part about it," he laughed.
TOO CYNICAL?
After being told he was too cynical, he laughed and matter-of-factly said, "This is me ennuh. Me ah give yuh the real deal. With me, is either something is or isn't; either it's there or not. Me naw say nutting wha me nuh think. That's me."
Shaggy also says he does not think his second nomination is a signal of international acceptance of reggae music, as far as the Grammy Awards go. Instead, he says, "Them just a fill a quota, that's what me feel. There was even a petition that was run the other day because they basically wanted to eliminate the reggae category. Did you know that? ... I along with others signed the petition to save it..."
"When you have the rise of Latin music, them go as far as to make them come on the main part of the show, but them get a whole new Grammy (show) fi themselves the Latin Grammys. When the reggae category has a lot of people who have made an impact chartwise, including myself, and up until now, you still can't go on camera. So what is there to be excited about, you tell me? What is there to be excited about? ... So I'm working for the reward right now, because it is what it is," he said.
COMMENTS ON NOMINEES
Shaggy didn't forget to comment on those who have been nominated for the award this year, and those who won in much earlier days. "Me think Sean a do a splendid job and him is the forerunner right now. Yeah, all of them deserve to be nominated," he said.
"...I think back in the days when guys like Shabba and Black Uhuru and those guys were getting it, it was something special for the simple fact (that) people were finally recognising reggae with one of the highest awards in music. But after a while them start give it to everybody so. After a while you start look pon the categories, especially the reggae category, and you see some people whe a get Grammy whe ... you not even know seh dem have an album out. After a while it just felt like they wanted to fill a quota. This time around it's kinda good, because you can see the set of people dem wha put out records, (because) there was a lot of chart action..."
Shaggy also spoke of one of the biggest selling albums in 2000, Hot Shot, for which he was not nominated.
"That year we had the biggest selling album and then all of a sudden they decided that it
wasn't reggae and decided that I wasn't supposed to be in the category ... They said it was pop ... We got nominated for nothing, no Grammy. I had two American Music Awards and about six World Music Awards ... Every other album I put out, that is the only album I have that has never been in the reggae category. When in come out first before It Wasn't Me hit, we debut pon the reggae charts; when Hot Shot happen and we buss the place dem say we weren't reggae and nuh bother put we pon di chart...," he said.
"Then you had Lucky Day with Hey Sexy Lady, which sold over 2.1 million and that was without a record company, because the company folded at that point," he smiled, shaking his head.
With all that said, it came as no surprise when he said he would not be attending this year's ceremony. He, however, says the reason he will not be in attendance is because he will be touring. "I will be on tour in Argentina, then I leave from there to Miami to Canada, then New York and Europe," Shaggy said.
