Has any other artist had so many top 10 hits with such massive gaps of obscurity in between?

His UK top 10's:

1993 - oh Carolina and In the Summertime
1995 - Boombastic
1997 - A piece of my heart (no idea on that one! )
2000 - it wasn't me and Angel
2001 - Love me love me, Me Julie and Hey sexy lady

Then here we are 14 years on, and he's having a big radio hit with I Need Your Love! Got to wonder if the teenagers out there think he's some exciting new reggae/rap artist

What a legend!

Oh, I don't think its so curious, its a simple case of make massive international smash hit, retire, then when money is running out, release another one-and repeat process!

Hats off to him for bringing back reggae every decade though. The man is indeed a legend.

It's not that simple. Shaggy has never retired from the music industry. He has released ten studio albums in 18 years. The problem is he isn't capable of following up a successful era with another one. It seems like he disappears for long periods of time, but he doesn't. He's the male version of Kelis.

If radio stations played his music, he'd have more chart success.

I Need Your Love is alright actually but it does seem weird that this is getting plenty of airplay on UK radio whilst a track like El Perdon by Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias (which has been massive in Europe this summer) doesn't get a look in - most likely because it's not in English.

If Nicky Jam recorded an English language version of El Perdon, all the UK radio stations would jump on board without shadow of a doubt.

Had Shaggy not done an English language version of I Need Your Love, I doubt the original version would've got as much radio support.

Sean Paul. It's like Shaggy's younger brother. Songs in Italics have Sean as featured vocalist.

2003 - Gimme The Light, Get Busy, Breathe, Like Glue, Baby Boy

2004 - I'm Still In Love With You

2005 - We Be Burnin'

2012 - She Doesn't Mind

2013 - What About Us?, Other Side Of Love

2014 - Dangerous Love

I liked Boombastic, It Wasnt Me and Angel Wasnt Oh Carolina a cover as well as In The Summertime?
Come to think of it some of Angel sounds like 'The Joker' by The Steve Miller Band

Guns n Roses did a similar thing, Appetite for Destruction came out in 1987, the singles charted over here in 1989 then they disappeared for a couple of years and brought out Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 in 1991 with the singles charting in 1992.

Texas are another band that had a huge break and came back to be as popular. Think their first songs came out in 1989 then they didn't reappear until 1999 when they had a string of pop hits.

Nicky Jam and Enrique have recorded a full English version. it will be interesting if it's released in the UK and if so given a big push here.

Enrique's own Bailando was one of the biggest global hits last year. Spending multiple weeks at #1 all over Latin America as well as all over Europe helped of course by a version that added some English lyrics it was even the first predominantly non-English Top 10 in the US Top 40 in over a decade but reached the dizzy heights of 75 in the UK charts.

I think this is largely down to how Enrique is marketed in the UK. He hasn't been a Radio 1 choice since the early 2000s and is mainly played by the likes of Capital and Heart which works fine for most of his releases but I don't think those kind of stations are as eager to playlist more foreign sounding songs unless they are some kind of novelty.

As for the OP's question Enrique himself could be seen as an example at least in the US. Other than the moderate hit Do You Know he hadn't had a Hot 100 hit since '02 but then then he had a huge resurgence in 2010 with I Like It and Tonight becoming his biggest hits.

I don't think his career is that "curious" when you look at it, he had 17 hits in the UK from 1993 - 2006 with only 5 singles failing to chart. Of those 17, 9 made the top ten. Not bad going really.

I always thought that Georgie Fame had an usual career, 13 hits but only 3 top tens all of which made number one!

Hot Shot was actually the first ever album I bought.

Staying with Jamaican music, Boris Gardiner had a UK hit with Elizabethan Reggae around 1970 but didn't chart again until reaching number one in 1986 with I Want to Wake Up with You.

However during this period when he wasn't represented in the chart, he was playing bass on numerous reggae sessions and working at the mixing desk.

I think it sounds like the Boy George version of Everything I Own

Hmmm I think Kelis has more talent in her thumb than Shaggy's whole career
Can't say I missed Shaggy at all

Its not about Shaggy its about reggae in general, it goes in cycles where it gets played on the radio and then it goes again. Shaggy is always around but he is ready with a banger when reggae is cool each time.

I honestly thought this thread was going to be criticising shaggy for being terrible. I'm disappointed

I once heard someone say Shaggy was the only person to be a one-hit wonder three times.

well as he had 17 hits .. that's just daft!