Sting & Shaggy

Sting spent the entirety of his career studiously avoiding the appearance of having a good time, which is why his 2018 collaboration with reggae star Shaggy seemed so odd: at the age of 66, the rock star decided it was finally time to crack a smile. 44/876 – a collaboration named after the phone codes for their respective home countries – is most certainly a party record, albeit one that cooks at a low simmer as it swings between fleet-footed reggae sunsplash tunes and mellow grooves. If Sting seems subservient to Shaggy, that makes sense. Shaggy specializes in doing one thing well, while Sting took it as a point of pride that he could do anything from jazz to symphonies.

44/876 is a collaborative album by English musician Sting and Jamaican musician Shaggy. It was released on April 20, 2018 by A&M Records, Interscope Records and Cherrytree Records. The album's title refers to the country calling code for the United Kingdom (+44) and the North American area code for Jamaica (876), Sting's and Shaggy's respective home countries. In the first 3 months the album sold over 500,000 copies, world-wide.

A little more than a year after the release of his 57th & 9th solo LP, Sting is just about ready to release his next project — and it marks another creative turn in a career filled with them. Per official press release, the former Police frontman has teamed with reggae fusion artist Shaggy for 44/876, a new "collaborative, island-influenced album" that promises to honor "the duo’s mutual love of Jamaica — its music, the spirit of its people and vibrancy of its culture."

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Shaggy’s diamond-selling album, Hot Shot, a brand-new album entitled Hot Shot 2020, featuring updated versions of the biggest hits and most beloved fan favorites across Shaggy’s catalog, along with a number of never-before-heard tracks.