Shaggy in a scene from the movie, 'Blast'. -ContributedMel Cooke, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
IF SHAGGY was to get all his frequent flyer miles, he would probably be given a private jet instead of free tickets.
That is just for what he can remember up to the end of March.
He made the long haul from Australia to Los Angeles, hopped across to Germany, tootled over to Milan, spoke to The Sunday Gleaner from Monaco at 9:00 p.m. 'Monacan time' (3:00 p.m. at 7 North Street, Kingston) on Friday, was set to go to Cologne, France, yesterday, on to Cancoun, Mexico, back to Jamaica for a breather, from here to Panama and on to Moscow, Russia, on March 29.
"Dats de mos' I can remember now," Shaggy said, not sounding tired in the least.
He will be soon be travelling at 'projector speed', however, as he makes his acting debut in Blast, which is scheduled to come out later this year, although he does not have any idea about the release date. The film stars Eddie Griffen and Vivica A. Fox.
The action movie is based around an oil rig, placed off the coast of California.
"Some people a rush de rig an we haffi defen' it," Shaggy defined his role as a thug called 'Mace'.
"So yu live or dead?" The Sunday Gleaner asked and the 'Shagster' laughed merrily. "Mi dead. Dem shot mi up quick," he said.
If he had wanted to, he could have lived to close to the end at least, since "co-star no dead till nex' to las' reel."
"There was another character they wanted me to play, called Jahmal," Shaggy said. However, that would have required the deejay to stay on set in South Africa for three months, something he was not prepared to do.
"I can't live off the road for three months. We have 23 people (in the organisation), that is 23 cheques. Right now is touring a feed me an' my youth," Shaggy said.
As it was, his part in Blast took 12 to 13 days to do, for which he was in Cape Town, South Africa. Acting lessons were not a part of the process, although many who have seen him play various characters in music videos such as It Wasn't Me they would think he has had quite some experience.
"Basically I got the script and put myself in the character," he said.
Putting himself in character does not mean putting on airs. "To me I find it simple. People making more of it than it is," he said. Neither did it mean him putting life and limb on the line for the stunts, Marine experience ('a long time dat', Shaggy says) or not. He did get a few nicks in the blasting, though. "Dem did have some explosives ting an' dem sey nutten nah go happen. Mi get cut up pon mi han' an behin me neck back an' all dat. Yu haffi watch out fi dem explosives. Even when dem sey nutten nah go happen, suppen can happen," he said.
Although Blast is his first movie role, it is far from being the first offer. "More or less lots of scripts come in. I have been turning them down," Shaggy said. The acceptance is the result of a series of 'rights' - right time, right script, right people to work with, Shaggy said.
"Eddie Griffin a me bredren," Shaggy said, adding that there is a mutual respect between them.
'Thugging and slugging' as Mace is not the only part Shaggy plays in Blast. Where he goes music is sure to follow and this Sony release is no exception.
"They actually asked us to do the whole soundtrack," the deejay said. The Big Yard contribution to the audio will be one or two songs.
Big Yard did do the entire soundtrack for Showtime, starring Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy. "It was one of the better albums. But the movie did not hit," Shaggy said.
THROUGH THE CRACKS
The Showtime soundtrack is not the only Big Yard project to have been crimped by capricious fate. Rayvon's summer 2002 album My Bad 'came out to a lukewarm reception', Shaggy said.
"Rayvon's album just fell on the time when de company (MCA) shif' up. The president got fired, lots of people - seven or eight of them - got fired. Can't do nothing about that," he said.
What Big Yard can do something about is rolling their sleeves up and getting down to work, which the Monaco stop is a part of. Hey Sexy Lady is at number 7 on the charts there after making a high debut at number 15.
"Shaggy happen on a global scale," the deejay said. "In Australia we have been in the top 5 for how long. We went platinum in one week in Australia," he said.
With 1.5 million units of the album Lucky Day sold worldwide and counting, Shaggy knows he is living in the shadow of his own phenomenal Hot Shots.
"When you look at 10 million for Hot Shots, it look like a failure, because the bar raise so high," he said, adding that if My Bad had preceded Hot Shots it would have been a resounding success. In addition, he is aware that the 1.5 million units are way above (to put it mildly) anything else in reggae (and hordes of other genres).
Another album is always literally at his fingertips. "We always a do tune," Shaggy said, mentioning that producers such as Chris Birch and Sting International are always working with him. "It don't take much to do another album."
"Big Yard never left yard," Shaggy said, saying that the outfit will soon be releasing the 'Wappie Back' rhythm. Brian and Tony Gold, Rayvon and Elephant Man in combination, Prince Midas, Marsha and Danny English as well as 'couple other artiste' will be on it. Not Shaggy, though.
PERRY, MAXI, BEENIE
Shaggy is content with Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Grammy win in the reggae category for 2002. "He has been around for the longest time and he is like an icon in the business," he said.
He is also ecstatic about what has been happening for Jamaican music in the United States.
"Mi love wha Sean a do. Mi love wha Wayne Wonder a do," he said, the delight in his voice bouncing off a satellite somewhere in space and reverberating back on Earth loud and clear.
He is not unmindful of the effects of Hot Shots on the awareness and acceptance of Jamaican music, as well as the treatment of Jamaican artistes by major labels.
"Beenie was one of those who benefit from Hot Shots. With Beenie dem (Virgin Records) spen' money. Remember I was wid Virgin. At that time me an' Maxi (Priest) neva get it. My video neva go ova US$110,000 (to make). My video neva cos' US$1 million yet," he said.
The visuals for Hey Sexy Lady ran to about US$300,000.
What would you say to those who say that reggae has lost its message? The Sunday Gleaner asked and one could almost imagine Shaggy leaning forward on a chair in Monaco, minus his customary grin.
"Dem stupid!" he snapped. "Because when yu look pon reggae music from back inna Bob Marley days it change. Back in dem time dem sey Bob was a sell-out," Shaggy said.
One could almost feel the smile slipping back in place as Shaggy eased back mentally and said "It is ironic that those music are the standard today."
"There is not one artiste who would not want to be in me and Sean Paul shoes. Dem fi help an' stop backbite an' watch. Dem fi help," Shaggy said.
"Dem a hypocrite."
When The Sunday Gleaner asked which Jamaican artiste he saw with the potential to make it huge, Shaggy's reply was instantaneous.
"TOK. Definitely. Dem style a music, dem image, dem choreography. Elephant Man. Full a charisma. Full a performance," he said. "You have de Killa, de Beenie Man. Rik Rok an' dem man have nuff potential, as well as man like Cham."
"There is so much potential. We just have to organise," Shaggy said.
"No jus' feel sey yu jus' do it (music) an' go smoke some spliff an g... some girl. Yu haffi work..."
"A de odda day mi start see real money, from Boombastic. Up to now me still a do free show. All tomorrow (Saturday) me a do one. Because we do it from the heart," Shaggy said.
Shaggy is travelling with a pared down crew of six persons. "It is a TV show yu see all a we," he said.
It is unlikely that you will see them somewhere else. "My ban' a my ban'. Yu no see dem a play wid odda people," he said.
With all his globetrotting, Shaggy has his eyes on some territories he would like to go into. Territories that many would shy way from. The Middle East. Dubai. Bahrin. Qutar.
"Cause a peace an' love we a deal wid. If me dead a do music a dat me dey yah fa," Shaggy said. Having been through exuberance, joy, a touch of irritation, a wry twist or two and, throughout it all sincerity, Shaggy gets quietly earnest as he speaks about what his love, his life and his living can do for his country. As well as what it will do for someone else if his country keeps turning a blind eye to the industry.
"Is a gem. Is a gold mine, if we organise it. If we no capitalise pon it, someone else will," he said.
With that, Shaggy had a final four words for Jamaica. "Mi arright. Big up."
Then the 'big yard' link to Monaco was broken.
