Shaggy to receive honorary degree from Brown University
Written by adminVibe on May 12, 2022
Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, recognizes Shaggy’s boombastic and magnificent qualities and will honor him in a big way at the end of the month. The Grammy-winning reggae and dancehall performer will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the university.
Shaggy, whose real name is Orville Burrell, is one of nine honorary degree candidates who will be honored at the university’s Commencement and Reunion Weekend on May 27-29.
A Commencement oration by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a Baccalaureate address by public health leader Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and an honorary degree oration for the Class of 2020 by Shaggy, a former US Marine, are among the honorary degree highlights, according to a Brown University release.
He gained his first record deal and a global crossover success with Oh Carolina after serving four years in the US Marines, including two stints in the Middle East as part of Operation Desert Storm.
Shaggy has sold more than 40 million album units and has eight singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and seven albums on the Billboard 200, including four in the top 40, making him the only diamond-selling dancehall artist in music history. On Spotify, he is one of the top three most-streamed reggae artists of all time.
Shaggy has made good use of his platform to help his neighborhood and motherland. In 2009, he founded the Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation and staged the first of numerous Shaggy & Friends benefit concerts, which have collected millions of dollars for Kingston’s Bustamante Hospital for Children.
