Adrian Frater, Staff Photographer
Reggae superstar, Shaggy, performs on the opening night of Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival 2006, in Montego Bay, St. James.

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

The world might once again be on the verge of experiencing another 'monumental hit' from the multi-platinum selling recording artiste, Shaggy.

Shaggy's latest single, Church Heathen, is already wreaking havoc and creating waves locally and the feeling is that this could be the next big one.

"Bwoy di Heathen ting mi nuh know, is certainly a song weh a show signs of fast moving. It only release 'bout a week yah now and people like Funk Master Flex ... All a di big deejay dem inna Florida a play it nuff. Sometime yuh jus come up wid one a dem song deh weh have dah kind a leg and this is jus one a dem," Shaggy told The Sunday Gleaner.

Shaggy, who is no rookie when it comes to creating mega hits, as evidenced by Oh Carolina and Boombastic and especially the the diamond-selling Hot Shots album, says, "The good thing about it is that you have songs that are hits, but these are monumental hits."

Now that Shaggy has parted company with Geffen, he says he is free to do his music the way he really wants to.

"The big problem with record companies is that they want to curb you, they want you to use their producers, so when they start to dictate to you how your thing should sound ... 'cause even myself, I have a way that I want to see myself grow. Now mi kind a free up an mi feel more motivated to come in and write songs. I think this next album is going to be an incredible one," Shaggy said.

Shaggy says there are a lot of underhand dealers in the music business and the pressure of having to deal with them can sometimes impact on the music, which is produced.

"A di pressure an demotivation a dem people deh ... inna di record business, is all scam. For example, like how wi did have Wild Tonight a play an dem a stop play it an a sey is not priority. And then yuh have people all a come to wi a talk bout dem waan do a Shaggy remix. No, we wi mek di remix. An when dem si seh dem cyaan mek no money offa yuh dem don't back you. But you can't take the power of a song away and the team is still the same team. We call ourselves the 'Dream Team'," Shaggy says.