Shaggy Rejects the Idea of One ‘King of Dancehall,’ Says the Genre Has Many Kings

Jamaican superstar Shaggy has weighed in on the long-running debate over who deserves to be called the “King of Dancehall,” arguing that no single artiste can claim the crown in a genre that has produced generations of influential stars.

Speaking during an interview on Power 96 FM, the Grammy-winning entertainer appeared amused by the idea that dancehall should have only one king.

“Who king.,” Shaggy said mockingly. “King of the dancehall. Like, multiple kings, you know. Who’s been more influential in dancehall?”

Shaggy pointed to veteran deejay Ninja Man as an example of an artiste whose cultural impact was enormous during his era, even though younger audiences may not have personally witnessed the height of his popularity.

“You know, not because you weren’t there. Do you remember when Ninja Man came out? How massive that guy was? Everybody wanted to look like him, talk like him, fronty, gold tits, big gun in your face, shoot him. You know what I’m saying?”

He said the influence and star power of artistes from that generation can still be felt internationally.

“Even now, he’s still, he’s got this thing that he said the other day on an interview, he says, Real bad man. ‘I go to the most strangest place in Europe and see something White guy come up. Hey, Shaggy! Read!’ I was like, yeah. It’s just how much of a star those guys are.”

Shaggy also singled out Bounty Killer before explaining that an artiste’s influence should be understood within the context of his or her era.

“Bounty Killer. So it’s in, you might be influential within your era. So this means there are many kings. You know what I mean? There’s no one king for a genre.”

He then named several Jamaican stars whom he believes have earned their own place among dancehall’s royalty.

“Beanie Man is a king. Cartel is a king. Shaba is a king. You know what I mean? I’m a king. Sean. A lot of people.”

Shaggy on His Own Global Standing

While rejecting the idea of a single dancehall king, Shaggy was equally candid about his own international achievements and the small group of Jamaican artistes whose names, he said, have attained extraordinary global recognition.

“The only other person above me right now is really Sean Paul. Yeah. And the great Bob Marley. And Bob and I go back and forth. Sean has really cemented himself really well.”

According to Shaggy, the international recognition enjoyed by himself, Sean Paul and Bob Marley becomes especially apparent when travelling outside Jamaica.

“No matter where you are in Europe, Africa, wherever, the names that they know, Sean Shaggy. Sean Shaggy, yeah. And Bob. And Bob, right. These are the tracks that they would all ask for. It’s universal.”

He stressed that this recognition extends far beyond traditional reggae and dancehall markets.

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter where. Southeast Asia, you know, you talk about Africa, wherever it is. You know what I mean?”

Shaggy also reflected on the scale of his touring career in Africa, recalling performing in stadiums across several countries long before social media became the primary way that major concert moments were documented and circulated.

“I mean, we used to tour Africa and play stadiums. I mean, we used to tour Africa and played stadiums almost every year. Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, everywhere. Everywhere. South Africa.”

For Shaggy, the absence of Instagram posts, viral videos and other social-media records from that period can sometimes cause people to underestimate what Jamaican artistes accomplished internationally before the digital era.

“And sometimes I see some of these guys, ‘Oh, the first person to fill the stadium.’ Not because it wasn’t on Instagram, didn’t mean it didn’t happen. Right, We just didn’t have social media that time.”