by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – Shaggy is in the mood for soca. So much, that the title of his new EP is In The Mood which features collaborations with some of that genre’s hottest acts.
In The Mood will be officially released on May 12. It is the first project between the Grammy-winning artist’s Ranch Entertainment company and VP Records.
On it, he teams with Kes, Patrice Roberts and Bunji Garlin from Trinidad and Tobago and Skinny Fabulous from St. Vincent and The Grenadines.Mood with Kes is the lead single.
Speaking with South Florida Caribbean News at the EP’s launch at Circle House in North Miami on May 10, Shaggy noted that he has been working with soca acts for over years. He pointed to several well-received songs such as Toro Toro with Machel Montano as proof.
Shaggy added that his dancehall colleagues including Beenie Man, Agent Sasco and Busy Signal have also done songs with their counterparts from the Eastern Caribbean.
“It’s happening naturally, there’s no putting (artists) in a box anymore. As you can see, there are more cross-genres now and the more that happens the more people will feel cool,” he said. “People are just scared to do things because they are scared of the cool factor. I’ve been doing it (blending genres) for years because I never gave a f..k.”
Although known for dancehall/pop anthems like Boombastic and It Wasn’t Me, Shaggy said he grew up in the Rae Town community of Kingston admiring the music of The Mighty Sparrow, the legendary Trinidadian considered calypso/soca’s greatest exponent. He also listened to singer Lord Laro, another Trinidadian who has lived in Jamaica for over 50 years.
His first collaboration with a soca artist came in 1998 with Montano on Toro Toro which was a big hit in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.
He stated that it was only a matter of time before he recorded a full soca project with artists from countries where that sound has its roots.
“Everything boils down to a synergy and a vibe. I’ve always been doing soca, have always enjoyed working with people like Machel and we had a lotta fun working on this project,” he said.
