What Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" was really about as biggest misconception debunked

It's the answer you've been waiting for: The truth behind Shaggy's mega hit, 'It Wasn't Me', after people have got it wrong for so many years.

There’s only so much people can take when it comes to getting pop culture right or wrong, and of course, we all know Shaggy’s 2000 song.

It practically shaped a generation of people, who can’t help but shout out 'It wasn't me!' when they hear the opening instrumentals.

However, while you might have been rapping Shaggy’s — Orville Richard Burrell C — lyrics, that doesn’t mean you’ve fully understood them.

The Grammy winner has beeen upfront about explaining that the song isn’t actually about being pro-cheating.

You might be shocked by this considering the lyrics centering around giving someone advice on how to get out of cheating allegations.

But it’s true.

Apparently, It Wasn't Me, isn't a pro-cheating anthem (Timeless Hits)

Speaking to People in 2023, the artist previously explained: "It was a big misconception with that song because that song is not a cheating song. It's an anti-cheating song. It's just that nobody listened to the record to the end.

"There's a part in the record where it's a conversation between two people and you have one guy, which is me at that point, giving that bad advice, like, 'Yo, bro, how could you get caught? Just tell her, ‘It wasn't me', and then at the end, the guy says, 'I'm going to tell her that I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused.

"'I've been listening to your reasoning, it makes no sense at all. Going to tell her that I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused. You might think that you're a player, but you're completely lost'."

Shaggy concluded: "Nobody hears that part! That's what the song says."

Shaggy revealed all (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images)

Recently, Shaggy spoke with the Daily Star to reveal that he’s flipping the narrative of "It Wasn’t Me" on its head, with his new release on his latest 2026 album 'Lottery'.

Titled ‘Bun, (She Loves Me),’ Shaggy is singing about being on the receiving end of infidelity, not the other way around.

Why? Because he thinks he’s the man for the job.

"Well, if anybody could do it it's me I'm the right guy,” he told the outlet in May. "I just thought it was it's a good perspective, you know, 'cause the guys are always players.”

Now, that's an interesting flip 26 years on from his most-known hit, which makes his new music a worthwhile listen.