Shaggy Urges Young Jamaican Artists To Get Educated On “The Business Of Music”

Dancehall megastar Shaggy says he has learnt from his mistakes of the past, and is savvier when it comes on to the business of music and seizing existing financial opportunities in the industry.

According to the Angel singer, music business education is a key ingredient of an artist’s success, but oftentimes artists and their management make poor decisions, due to ignorance of music business procedures, causing them to lose out on lucrative opportunities.

“Education.  Education.  I have seen artists who have gotten prime opportunities and because of hustle mentality decided that they not gonna take it.    If you get a manager who don’t know how to build a career – they just know how to collect a money –  then you goin have a problem,” Shaggy explained.

“You have to figure out what to take, when to get your money, when to say ‘the opportunity, the look is better dan di money, meck mi teck it’ (or) ‘da one yah, di look nuh suh big, suh fi me a guh do dis now, hear wha happen, yuh haffi gi mi di money’.   And that takes experience and education, which is why for me my biggest thing right now with the position I have, is to create a platform to teach. Anybody can come to me come ask me.  I have a wealth of knowledge. I have lived it and survived it longer than most,” he added.

According to Shaggy, his business acumen and knowledge base were now a far cry from years ago when he started out in Dancehall.

“The Shaggy I am today is not the Shaggy I was when I just started.  The Sean Paul you see today was not the Sean Paul he was when he just started.   So there is a growth process.   I could have done it way earlier if I was educated earlier. I used to think seh I meck good money until I start tour wid Sting and si some adda people realize an seh: ‘rahtid music can mek dem kinda money yah?’” he said.

Younger Jamaican artists, he said, ought to make a concerted effort to understand the business side of the music industry, so that they do not miss out on many glorious financial opportunities as had happened in his case in the past.

“There is music business, but there is also the business of music, and you need to learn dat part.  I am telling you this 100 percent, if I knew then what I know now, the amount a money I woulda swim inna, I guarantee you… but I just did not know and I was with people who did not know also and didn’t want to admit they didn’t know how,” he explained.

“There is so much to learn; it is so vast.  The amount of avenues of income that this entertainment business can bring.  And if you don’t know how to monetize it, you are lost.  And other people will take it, don’t care how much dem hug yuh up and pat yuh up and seh ‘yow yuh a mi son, yuh a mi bredda, mi sista, mi love yo; yuh a mi best fren’.  Once there is an opportunity to take you, they will,” the Boombastic singer added.

According to the Rae Town native, he has taken on the role of mentor for younger artistes and will make a concerted effort to continue doing so. 

“If a artiste come to mi fi siddung an have a one-on-one – I just have a long one-on-one couple months ago wid me and Dexta Daps… people call mi and reach out to mi an wi siddung and have the conversation wid dem.  And some people I recommend, because I know people in the game who are the best set a lawyers, best set a business managers, who are reputable and I will even go in and be a co-sign and seh ‘this kid is such and such, help that person out’ and they will,” the former US Marine said.