Out of Many, One Music, Shaggy’s 12th studio album, was released on 24 September 2013 through Ranch Entertainment — produced by Sly & Robbie, Sting International and Lenky Marsden, the Jamaica Gleaner announced. The 13-track set paired Shaggy with Beres Hammond, Damian Marley, Cocoa Tea, Tarrus Riley, Chronixx, Tessanne Chin, Konshens and Ne-Yo — a roll call of reggae royalty that Shaggy framed not as a solo album but as a collaboration with “the masters.”
Back to roots
Shaggy told the Gleaner he had decided to go “back to the roots” after years of criticism that his pop success made him inauthentic. “Calling it Out of Many, One Music makes it as Jamaican as it can be,” he said. “The fact that I'm doing this with Sly and Robbie, who are Jamaican icons, make it a fitting title. That's why we even did the logo of the album to be a mock-up of the Jamaican coat of arms.” The album launched in Jamaica at Rae Town’s Oldies Street Dance on 29 September — Shaggy’s own neighbourhood, where sound-system culture began.
Chart proof
The Ne-Yo collaboration “You Girl” reached No. 1 on iTunes and the Billboard Reggae Singles chart within days of release, the Gleaner reported. Out of Many, One Music earned Shaggy his fifth Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album at the 57th Annual Awards in 2015, per Grammy.com — losing to Ziggy Marley’s Fly Rasta but answering the authenticity question on its own terms.
Why it matters
After Hot Shot and the charity years, Shaggy proved he could still make reggae that satisfied the purists — by handing the riddims to Sly & Robbie and inviting Jamaica’s finest voices into the room.
Listen and dig deeper
- Play Out of Many, One Music in the Listen library. Browse Shaggy.
- Previously: Shaggy and Friends benefit (2009). Next: 44/876 with Sting wins the Grammy (2019).
Sources: Jamaica Gleaner — “Shaggy's 'Out of Many, One Music' hits the world” (Sep 25, 2013); Jamaica Gleaner — “Shaggy returns to roots” (Sep 26, 2013); Grammy.com — Shaggy awards history.
Editor's note: This entry is part of the JamaicansMusic online museum — a career timeline assembled from the archive. It is dated to the era it documents; every claim is drawn from the linked sources.