"Hope" by Shaggy

It's always been a challenge for me to justify the author and performer of such a singularly upbeat song with the red carpet asshat who can't seem to resist an opportunity to demonstrate his own insecurity by gay-baiting and indulging in recreational misogyny.

To be fair, he has cleaned his act up somewhat; to appear (as he once did, in August 2007) on The Friday Night Project seated with Alan Carr and Gok Wan without making a single off-colour quip must have been a heckuva chore for old Shaggy.

So whether he's seen the light or is still a hater at heart, this song - which originally appeared on his fifth studio album, 2000's Hot Shot - continues to earn him our birthday wishes...
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