2019YIR: Shaggy in the hot seat
The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk continues its daily review of stories, people and events that dominated the news cycle in 2019.
IN the midst of his preparation for his big debut on American channel ABC in November as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, word broke that Shaggy was yet to hand over monies to Bustamante Children’s Hospital which was raised from the 2018 staging of the biennial Shaggy and Friends Concert.
According to reports, $100 million was raised from concert. However, hospital Chairman Kenneth Benjamin said the Shaggy and Friends Foundation did not fulfil their promise to purchase Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds or donate any funds.
The statements created buzz both locally and internationally and forced the It Wasn’t Me singer to publicly give account of the monies. He was even called into a meeting with Disney to clear his name.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, he reasoned that he was happy to explain himself truthfully.
“Me get a call from my publicist while I was in Los Angeles, telling me that they spoke to the Disney publicist and I need to explain this $100 million. This led me into a meeting with them. Luckily enough, I could explain myself and I have a great relationship with them and they have great faith in me. This came out conveniently three days before The Little Mermaid aired, so you can imagine how that affected not just the brand, but my relationship in moving forward in the business,” he said.
In a press conference, he further explained that it was merely just a misunderstanding.
He also confirmed that the funds will now go towards a new three-storey, 150-bed ward, set to cost $150 million at the hospital.
Though the incident certainly caused a hullabaloo, media and communications consultant Clyde McKenzie believed that his wholesome brand will survive.
“Maybe it may cause damage but that’s for people who don’t know. All you have to do is check the record. Shaggy is well-known for his generosity, that’s what people across the world knows him for. This is not a case where he was called on to explain what happen and he couldn’t do so. He was able to go through exactly what happened and show the procedure,” said McKenzie.