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Shaggy Says Fans Have Misunderstood His Song ‘It Wasn’t Me’ For Decades

Shaggy says his fans have misunderstood his song 'It Wasn't Me' for decades.
Credit: MCA & Alamy

Shaggy says his fans have misunderstood his song ‘It Wasn’t Me’ for decades. 

Shaggy, whose real name is Orville Richard Burrell CD, is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is known for a number of hits, including ‘Boombastic’ and ‘In The Summertime’.

But there’s no denying that his biggest track is ‘It Wasn’t Me’, which dropped in 2000.

And while everyone knows the song, Shaggy, 54, says fans aren’t too clear on what it’s really about.

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In an interview with People magazine, the ‘Angel’ rapper responds to the track – which is believed to be about a man denying cheating on his partner – frustratingly giving him the reputation of a ‘player’.

When actually, Shaggy wanted it to be known as an ‘anti-cheating song’.

The 54-year-old explains: “It was a big misconception with that song because that song is not a cheating song.

“It’s an anti-cheating song. It’s just that nobody listened to the record to the end.

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“There’s a part in the record where it’s a conversation between two people. You have one guy, which is me at that point, giving that bad advice, like, ‘Yo, bro, how could you get caught?

“Just tell her, ‘It wasn’t me’.”

Shaggy goes on to explain that the second half of this conversation is overlooked, as the guy goes: ‘I’m going to tell her that I’m sorry for the pain that I’ve caused.

“I’ve been listening to your reasoning, it makes no sense at all… You might think that you’re a player, but you’re completely lost’.

The rapper then reiterates that ‘nobody’ focuses on this part.

Shaggy in 'It Wasn't Me'.
Shaggy says his fans have misunderstood his song ‘It Wasn’t Me’ for decades. Credit: MCA

Many people have taken to Twitter and agreed with Shaggy that an important lesson is lost on many listeners of ‘It Wasn’t Me’.

One fan pens: “Shaggy is right. Yes, the song focuses on what happened but at the end of the song, it was clear: despite the bad advice from his friend, he finally concluded he’ll accept his bad mistake and sincerely apologise.

“Denying it and continuing cheating is what a lost person would do.”

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Another adds: “What they and he presumably meant by this is that the song (which is about cheating) was not meant to glorify the act.

“Stop and digest the words y’all.”

While Shaggy is known for creating classic tracks throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the rapper is hoping to find some new fans with his latest tour.

His highly-anticipated tour kicked off on June 1 and he will be joined by stars such as TLC, Sean Kingston and En Vogue.

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Written by Aimee Walker

Aimee is a senior content editor at IGV who specialises in finding the best original stories, trending topics and entertainment news. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Media and Communications.