If Shaggy’s “Keep’n It Real” and “Freaky Girl” sound different in February, and you ask the pop-reggae veteran what happened, don’t be surprised if his response is “It Wasn’t Me.”
He’s not kidding. For Hotshot Ultramix (February 12), Shaggy allowed remixers such as Punch, Sting International and Gordon Dukes to play doctor with those tunes as well as other Hotshot (2000) tracks including “Dance & Shout,” “Hope” and “Leave It to Me,” according to an MCA Records spokesperson. Remixers J.C. Moreno, Christopher “Longman Productions” Birch and Tony “CD” Kelly also contributed to the project.
Hotshot Ultramix also contains three previously unreleased songs Shaggy recorded throughout his nine-year career – “Special Request” (featuring Rik Rok), “Too Hot to Handle” (featuring Robin) and “Why You Mad at Me” – as well as a live version of Hotshot’s second single, “Angel.”
Shaggy, who can also be heard on “Ghetto Child” off Joe’s latest album, Better Days, will continue to traverse the country, participating in various radio-sponsored festivals until Tuesday, when he makes an appearance in New York. From there he’ll play two shows in Nigeria before heading to Europe in the new year. Upon his return in February, he’ll begin work on a new album.
Hotshot Ultramix Track List, According To MCA Records:
- “It Wasn’t Me” – Punch mix
- “Special Request” – f/ Rik Rok
- “Freaky Girl” – Strip mix
- “Too Hot to Handle” – f/ Robin
- “Why You Mad at Me”
- “Keep’n It Real”
- “Leave It to Me”
- “Chica Bonita”
- “It Wasn’t Me” – f/ Nucci-Rey-o, Wiz Dinero
- “Dance & Shout” – Dancehall mix
- “Hope” – Dukes mix
- “Angel” – live