Shaggy Gets A Lot Off His Chest In New Song ‘Mi Nuh Know’: Watch

Dancehall megastar Shaggy got a niggling, unaddressed issue off his chest, music-wise—one so bothersome, that he uncharacteristically uttered the F-bomb, not once, but twice, in his newly-released track dubbed Mi Nuh Know, to the amusement and “shock” of some of his peers.

Assuming a militant stance and coupled with his typical rude-bwoy swag, the former US Marine, who holds Jamaica’s Order of Distinction (Commander Class), took aim at his critics, reminding naysayers that for decades, he has been flying the Jamaican and the Dancehall flag, and has the coveted accolade of being Jamaica’s only living Diamond-plus selling artist, his Hot Shot album an attestation to that fact.

The song whose accompanying music video was premiered today on YouTube, interpolates lyrics from Eek a Mouse’s 1981 hit Wa-Do-Dem  and his long-time friend Ninjaman’s Hortical Don , a hit song produced by Steelie and Clevie in the early 1990s.

The music video, directed by Jay Will, was shot in and around Miami and features cameos from Walshy Fire and Popeye Caution.

After boasting of his bedroom prowess in the first verse, Shaggy, not normally known for controversy, turns to his detractors in the second.

“Yuh know don? Talkin bout di yute Shags, man/ Dem a talk bout di Dancehall don/Di only don weh eva sell diamond/ Yuh Know Don?/None a dem caan f’k wid I man/Presidential escort, mi nuh stay inna traffic/memba who a di boss an neva try figat it…”

As he continued, Shaggy reeled out his chart-topping prowess.

“Guh teck a flight around di world check every chart mi top it/Man a giant, dem microscopic, stop it,” he added as he likened his detractors to incompetent footballers.

“Yuh want di formula come teck it from di teacha/Whole heap a numba one an nuh haffi wait pon a f-ckin feature”’ he added.

When he chipped the “bad wud” in a video snippet preview he shared a few days ago, the entertainment sector broke lose as, Dancehall deejays, singers and even emcees erupted in laughter and feigned astonishment, that the Angel artist has taken to the studio to say a naughty word.

“Bumbo!!!!!!!! Did I jus heard….? U know what… come through Bossy!!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂
☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️,” was deejay Mr Lexx’s response.

“Shaggy cussed a badword………… omg this is amazingggggg …….readyyyyyyyyyyyyy,” Ce’Cile added.

“I’m clutching my pearls di way di badwud fly outta yuh nice clean mouth‼️ Dis gwaan and full a vibez Big Boss!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥,” an amused Miss Kitty said.

Producer Don Corleone, Konshens, Tarrus Riley, British Disc jockey Seani B, did not express shock, but posted flame icons in support.

Other fans of the Hot Shot artist also joined in with their own expressions of amazement.

“Maaaad suppn, full time yu remind dem a who a di man, some a dem can’t even fly pan plane ✈️.. but seh dem a god fi dancehall 😂😂😂,” andraedecosta said.

“Alright, shaggy get MOD now!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥,” veedollsassie added.

Others said it was the first in history they had ever heard the 53-year-old utter an expletive.

“I’ve never heard you curse in a song. What’s gotten into you? 😂😂😂,” one fan said, while another follower chimed in: ““Mi never knw shaggy cuss bad word so sweet🔥😂.”

“A wah coulda a cause dis, ppl mi hear Shaggie cuss 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,” thickaz_37 said.

Others said that some Dancehall acts will be peeve at Shaggy’s references to his accomplishment and accompanying rebuke of his critics.

“A lot of people ago get ina them feelings. Hit maker shaggy” one fan said while blademerital added:  “THE ONLY ONE WAH SELL DIAMOND THINK A BWOY FI SELL SO MUCH COPY🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾💯💯💯💯”.

Shaggy’s discontent may have been brewing for some time, stemming from numerous comments over the years by people, among them his own musical compatriots, who have tried to downplay his success, by claiming, among other things, that he did not do authentic Dancehall.

Among the other claims, was that his skin color was a factor in his ascension to Dancehall’s global success and that he had the backing of big labels, while omitting the fact that he was not only a singer with good work ethics, but a producer and songwriter of numerous hard-core Dancehall hit songs for other artists.

In one seemingly disquieting instance during a November 2019 discussion between music producers on Instagram, Vybz Kartel was reported as saying that Shaggy and his compatriot Sean Paul, did not do “authentic dancehall”, but “dem sell because major label de behind dem” and that “if a major label de behind mackerel she sell gold or platinum a maanin…”.

Months later, at the Reggae Month’s Jamaica Music Conference in February 2020, Shaggy had declared, during a panel discussion, that his hard work should not be undermined when speaking about his success, and that he was unapologetic about his accomplishments as he had worked hard and was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

“Me nah tell you I’m the baddest deejay. Me far from it. But mi a go tell unuh, none a unuh nah go outwork me, it will never happen,” he said.

In an interview with Soundchat Radio, in May last year, Shaggy had addressed the burning issue of being described as not authentically Dancehall, pointing to his Big Yard label which under which some of the biggest authentic beats from the genre were produced including the Street Bullies riddim, which featured Kartel’s Slow Motion, Beenie Man’s Humility and Ce’Cile’s Nah Stress Over Man, as well as work he had done with Agent Sasco, Konshens and Chico, and others at Dave Kelly’s Madhouse label.

“Sometime I siddung and I hear some man a talk some ting and a seh ‘Shaggy a nuh Dancehall and dis an dat and I seh ‘dude, I wrote your shit.  You don’t even realise that…,” Shaggy had said.

“People figet seh Slow Motion come out pon Big Yard wid Vybz Kartel.  I went and got that done…,” he said.

“Suh mi done listen di hypocrisy an stupidness.  Put up or shut up,” he had said.

 At the 2020 Music Conference, Shaggy had also addressed the colour issue, noting that it was a factor internationally, but that Jamaicans should not “dwell on it”.

“Don’t ignore the fact that it (racism) is a part of it. Yes, it is, very much so. The three biggest artistes out of Jamaica – Shaggy, Bob Marley, Sean Paul – a three brown bredda, a nuh coincidence that,” he had stated.

“We are not saying we are not talented people, but mi a tell yuh seh years and years, a ghetto me born, mi used to be the red boy inna di ghetto place and mi get picked pon because mi a di ‘likkle red youth’…mi never see uptown til mi buss and come back a Jamaica,” he said.

When artist manager Delroy Escoffery had attempted to caution the Bombastic artist against speaking about the advantages given to lighter-skinned artists in the mainstream market, the Iraq war veteran had stood his ground.

“So because mi brown mi nuh fi tell you the truth?” Shaggy had shot back.