At the third staging of the Island Music Conference (IMC) at the Courtleigh Auditorium, Shaggy, Chairman of IMC addressed questions from World Music Views about his stance on clashing and the challenges faced by Jamaica’s iconic stage show, Sting, after four decades.
When asked why he doesn’t engage in clashes in principle, Shaggy explained:
“I did many clashes in my early days starting,” he began. “I don’t clash anymore, when I start make money.”
He said being strategy and weighing the financial benefit is part of his decision making.
“If I see a clash that going to carry me to a bigger bag, I am all in. If I am seeing a clash that not going do anything for me why even respond. Clashing is strategic. To clash with me you haffi be pon me level.”
“If no make sense,” he added, recalling dancehall clash legend Papa San, who famously declared, “no sprat tonight.”
“If you deh pon me level, a it that.”
Shaggy also confirmed that, in his view, only Sean Paul is at his level when it comes to a potential clash:
“Well a the only man that, me nuh see no other man weh deh pon me level. There is levels to this thing.”
In 2022, at the height of the Verzuz era, Sean Paul said he believes a Verzuz battle against Shaggy wouldn’t be a fair matchup, citing his 19 Billboard Hot 100 hits compared to Shaggy’s three. Speaking on The Breakfast Club, Paul explained, “It’s a different thing … he sold 15 million, so I didn’t sell that, so you know for me it’s just an unfair thing. It’s like putting on Mike Tyson with his boss Muhammad Ali, it’s like different time frames, they’re different you know…”
While co-host Angela Yee suggested a battle focused strictly on their Dancehall catalogs, Paul pointed out that Beenie Man and Bounty Killer had already delivered that moment for fans. However, Yee countered, saying, “The fans needed more of that.”
“So you want see me go at Shaggy then?” Paul responded, prompting approval from Charlemagne Tha God and DJ Envy.
Sean Paul, who has four No. 1 hits—including Get Busy, Temperature, Baby Boy with Beyoncé, and Cheap Thrills with Sia—maintains that he prefers unity over competition. “I have a niche space in the business … and so for me it’s kinda weird to battle someone from my own genre, and I’m one of the most successful there. It’s kinda a little weird to me at this point being one of the eldest statesman,” he explained. “The stance on it is just more of a unity thing for me.”
Back at IMC, discussing why Verzuz succeeded in commercializing clash culture while Sting struggles, Shaggy credited its global reach and the vision behind it:
“Versus has an international platform at the time. We can’t blame them for having an idea that in the middle of COVID, they came up with an idea.”
He highlighted the importance of connections in making Verzuz a multi-million dollar success:
“Imagine if Trooper came up with that idea and start do it online with another sound where at that point you had everybody’s attention him probably woulda blow up too.”
Ultimately, Shaggy attributed the success of Verzuz to the influence and network of its creators:
“It is the connections of those in charge of Versus like Swizz Beatz and Timbaland who should be credited for the success of Verzuz.”
