Twenty years ago, Shaggy released “Hot Shot” and kicked off a revolution: The dancehall album had two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, then “It Wasn’t Me” topped Britain’s singles chart; in the early 2000s, you could hear its sexy, infectious groove everywhere.
“It was on pop, it was on crossover, it was on urban,” he said. “It just broke everything.”
In celebration of dancehall’s, and his own, evolution since that milestone, Shaggy has given that diamond-selling album an upgrade. “Hot Shot 2020” mixes reworkings of chart-toppers (“It Wasn’t Me,” “Angel”) and older fan favorites (“Boombastic”) with four new songs. For good measure, he added his friend Sting — their collaboration “44/876” won a Grammy in 2019 for best reggae album — to the vocal lineup.
Earlier this spring, Shaggy had returned to New York from a British tour when Jamaica, where his family lives, closed its borders. After eight weeks locked down in Valley Stream, L.I., he was longing for home. And it showed. His 10 essentials all hail from the island where he insists he can live in peace, mostly.
“I’m homegrown, man,” he said, laughing. “All Jamaicans think they’re superstars. So they’ll never fan over anybody.”
These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
1. Accompong Maroon Festival
The Maroons are Africans who were brought to Jamaica in the time of slavery. They led a revolt against their owners and ran away off various plantations around the island and started a new development of their own in the mountains. And they have a huge Christmas celebration that is a sight to see. The celebration is in January, in the parish of St. Elizabeth, and people from all over Jamaica go to celebrate the Maroons’ emancipation and freedom. Maroon Christmas is incredibly entertaining and mind-opening and just wonderful. It’s singing and dancing, it’s history and food. But it’s vibing with the people, and getting that warmth and that smile on your face, that really brings it home.
2. Jerk in Boston Bay
Portland is my favorite parish. It has beaches but it’s also a rainforest, so it’s the most lush parish in Jamaica. And it’s the home of the jerk. Boston Bay is where there’s the pimento wood that adds the flavor to jerk chicken and jerk pork. Of course, jerk is now exported all over the world, and everybody does it. But when you want to get the real one, you go to the Mecca of it.
3. Street Dancing
Jamaica is about the street dance. They’re a sound-system culture. The Verzuz competition online — they broke the internet a couple of times — comes from clashing. And clashing is from sound systems playing battle music against each other. With street dances, they put two huge speaker boxes on each side of the road and block it. People come outside, and there’s the guy that’s got the sugar cane cut up and the guy that is selling the peanuts and a curry goat pot that’s cooking. And then there’s the bar, and they’re drinking their Guinness, and the music is playing with everybody dancing in the street. I go every chance I can get.
4. River Rafting on the Rio Grande
My favorite thing to do. That’s also in Portland. You get a raft for you and yours. We normally have a floating bar, so the bartender will be on that raft. You can pull up to it and get your drinks. There’s a food raft that has all the snacks. And the D.J. raft, where the guy has a generator and a speaker. The music is loud. The water is cool. And if you’re there with 10 or 12 of your friends, and they all have a raft going down, it’s one hell of a party.
5. Screechies
Screechies is this guy in Portmore. He’s got a shack right on the seaside, and he makes the best fresh fish and lobster. He catches it, cuts it up. He makes the escovitch with vinegar, pimento, onions, Scotch bonnet pepper, fish seasoning, deep-fried, and puts it with festival, which is a cornmeal dumpling-type paste with a little bit of sugar in it and molasses. They also do what they call chicken lobster, which are smaller lobsters so they’re very tender, and those are also deep fried. It’s just an amazing experience, and I will be doing that hopefully when I get in.
6. Sorrel and Rum Cake at Christmas
Christmas in Jamaica is a different Christmas than in the rest of the world. In Jamaica, Christmas is parties, rum, food, beach. It’s not snow, hot chocolate, none of that vibe. The sorrel plant [a type of hibiscus] only comes in December, and they make a juice out of it and put rum with it. Then there’s a black cake with rum in it that they always bake at Christmas time. And it really just kind of works.
I’m actually working on a Christmas carol album, original music, but it’s the Caribbean Christmas, where it’s feel-good party music. I’m hopeful I can get various artists to feature on it with me. I’ve asked Boyz II Men. I’ve asked Ne-Yo. I’m hoping to get Joss Stone. I’m 11 songs in so far, so let’s see how it goes.
7. Maiden Cay Yacht Party
There’s little patches of beach — Maiden Cay, Lime Cay — on the shores of Port Royal. It’s a sand bank, and it’s clear water around you. They put a generator on the sand, with huge speaker boxes, and everybody pulls their boats up. And they tie all the boats together, and you can walk from boat to the next boat to the next boat, and you can be playing music from your yacht at the same time. It’s become this huge thing now that everybody comes. So even if you don’t have a yacht, you’re going to find your way over on somebody’s boat just to party. I normally rent a yacht. The greatest thing about yachts is always to have friends that have one.
8. Roasted Yam and Saltfish
I’m sure you’ve heard Usain Bolt talk about yam. That’s why they say he runs very fast. Yam grows in the dirt, so you have to dig it up, like how a peanut is grown. The saltfish is codfish from Newfoundland, and it’s cured. And when you roast that on an open fire with the yam, it’s just an amazing delicacy. Roast yam and saltfish is that thing that you have when you’re coming from that party late at night and you’re hungry.
9. Blue Lagoon and Frenchman’s Cove Flex
If we’re going to have a flex, we’re going to hang. That’s what flex means. Frenchman’s Cove is a beach in Port Antonio, and it’s perfect because it’s where the river water runs into the sea. There’s little currents that makes the water have a unique feel. The beach in the cove is just beautiful, so any party there always is a lovely, lovely experience. Everybody dressed all white and in their bathing suits. Sound system, D.J., full on.
That’s normally the problem. Sometimes I just want to have a good time, and everyone wants you to come touch the mic. And then if you don’t, you look like an [expletive]. Which is why I don’t do weddings. There’s not a wedding that I’ve ever been invited to for cake that I did not end up singing. “Could you just sing ‘Angel’ for the bride? It’s her day.” And how can you say no?
10. Shopping at Coronation Market
It’s where you get the freshest of everything. But part of what makes it so incredible is the haggling with the vendor. He’d say, “Yeah, hundred dollar one.” “No, too much money, eh? I’ll give this for this.” And you do that on almost everything that you buy. If you know the people, they’ll cut you little deals because you’re their regular customer.
Some people love to shop and try on, and some people are like, “Nah, I’d rather just go in and out.” You’re sitting down there waiting for this person to try on five million things. And it’s like: “Oh my God, I can’t. Just buy the damn thing and let’s go.” It could be the same thing shopping at Coronation Market. If you’re there with somebody that wants to haggle with every person about every single item, it’s going to be a nightmare for you. But if you’re really into that, it’s going to be a great experience. I haven’t gone in a while. Me going there now would be a bit of a hoopla.
Source: Music - nytimes.com
