Mr Boombastic aka Shaggy receives an honorary degree from Brown University

Orville Burrell wouldn’t be a Jamaican recording artist if he didn’t do a performance after accepting his Fine Arts degree, and that’s exactly what he did. He is now no longer able to say “it wasn’t me” because he’s got another name attached, and this one is official, put some respect on Dr Orville Burrell’s name.

There are two Doctors in the Jamaican recording scene, one is officially known in the law books, and the other his name was given to him by the ladies. Beenie Man needs to attend university and get his doctorate papers. All fun and joke aside, this is a major achievement for Shaggy among the list of achievements he’s had in his career.

Shaggy’s work ethic is on another level and this is due to his focus and drive, he’s always had goals and targets to reach, and that was clear in his acceptance speech “You see, I realised early on, that nothing showcases culture like stars and nothing shifts culture like superstars.  Because the odds were against me as a Caribbean artiste doing Dancehall and Reggae music, I had to become not just a star, but a superstar, “ he said.

Shaggy went on to say “I knew record labels weren’t going to invest money into a Caribbean act unless they produce numbers, sales.  So I had to go 10 times harder in music; 10 times better and more infectious than any other genre while getting 10 times less sleep. All this to have even a fighting chance or a seat at the table.”

Congratulations to Shaggy, and may he go on shining the light on Jamaican music worldwide, wishing him all the best with his philanthropy endeavours.

Listen to our weekly podcast featuring the best in Reggae Dancehall Soca  / Subscribe to the Apple podcast and be the first to listen to new shows once uploaded.