Shaggy To Headline Reggae Sumfest

05/25/2001 3:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Anna Maria Gibson

(5/25/01, 3 p.m. ET) -- Shaggy will headline this year's Reggae Sumfest, a Jamaican music festival billed by organizers as "The Greatest Reggae Show On Earth." Shaggy, who calls Jamaica home, is set to perform at Sumfest during a brief break his from opening slot on the Backstreet Boys tour of the U.S. and Canada.

The multiplatinum recording artist will perform in Edmonton, Alberta, on the Backstreet Boys tour August 4 before he jumps on a plane headed to Jamaica to perform at Sumfest on August 5, according to Shaggy's publicist. Following his performance, Shaggy will catch a flight back to Canada to resume the Backstreet Boys tour with a performance in Vancouver on August 7.

Shaggy joins a lineup of Sumfest performers that includes reggae superstars Bounty Killer, Capleton, Merciless, Baby Cham, Mr. Lexx, TOK, and Sizzla. Last year, Shaggy, Wyclef Jean, and Jay-Z were the highlights of the festival. Negotiations are reportedly underway to bring R&B and hip-hop stars to this year's staging of Sumfest.

The festival is scheduled to be held on the shores of Montego Bay, Jamaica from July 31-August 5. For more information about the event, go to reggaesumfest.com.

Shaggy's latest album, Hotshot, has sold nearly 6 million copies and is hanging on to the number Number Eight spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

-- Anna Maria Gibson, New York

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