Shaggy & Jimmy Cliff To Be Honored At The Caribbean Music Expo

02/14/2002 1:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Jerry Armor

(2/14/02, 1 p.m. ET) -- Jamaican musicians Shaggy and Jimmy Cliff will be honored at the Caribbean Music Expo (CME) Awards Dinner in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on March 23. Shaggy will receive the CME 2002 Award For Excellence in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the music industry, including his top-selling album, Hotshot. Cliff will be presented with the Bob Marley Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his groundbreaking work throughout his career.

Shaggy told LAUNCH that he might not have had a lot of money during his childhood in Jamaica, but he was rich in Jamaican culture. "Being raised in Jamaica is probably one of the biggest blessings because I was from a poor neighborhood--I was never from a very affluent family at all. I was raised with my grandmother, you know what I mean? Life in Jamaica is probably one of the best lives that you could live because they are so rich in culture," he explained.

The annual Caribbean Music Expo runs from March 20-24. It is a music-industry trade show that features an exhibition of music products and services from the Caribbean, as well as conferences and live concerts. Shaggy is not scheduled to perform at the CME, but his MCA Records/Big Yard artists will be showcased. The convention allows for English-, Spanish-, and French-speaking Caribbean music producers, performers, managers, and others to compete in the global music market.

In related news, Shaggy will be one of the hosts of the upcoming World Music Awards in Monte Carlo on March 6. He is nominated for three World Music Awards, including best-selling male artist, best R&B male artist, and best reggae artist.

-- Jason Gelman, New York and Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles

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