MC Skat Kat
Encyclopedia
MC Skat Kat is an animated cat who appeared with Paula Abdul
in the video for her song "Opposites Attract
" in 1989.
movie Anchors Aweigh
, in which Kelly's character dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom and Jerry
cartoon series. He was animated by members of the Disney animation team, working outside the studio between major projects, under the direction of Chris Bailey
.
MC Skat Kat was created by Michael Patterson
and performed by The Wild Pair
duo of Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn on "Opposites Attract". He was also voiced by Romany Malco
for the first rap of the song and by Derrick 'Delite' Stevens
for the second rap, the latter of whom would provide vocals for the character in the MC Skat Kat solo album.
The character released an album entitled The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob
in 1991, but the release of the album flopped quickly after being issued in that same year. Some of the songs made references to Paula Abdul and Opposites Attract, but Abdul did not provide vocals, except for the intro in "On the Prowl"; she did, however, make an appearance in the video of "Skat Strut
", the only single to be released. Despite the popularity of its music video (as it became one of the most requested on MTV
), the song never made an impact on any US Billboard chart.
Another single from the solo album, "Big Time," was given its own video with revised music. The song was labeled as "Big Time (Animation Mix)" on the Captive Sampler. The video was completed in January of 1992, but it remains unaired as of today. Most of the original animation was done by Eric Goldberg
, who at the time was the lead animator of the Genie character in Disney's Aladdin
feature film.
According to producer John Kafka, nobody was sure what to do with Skat after the videos were finished. Virgin Music and Universal Pictures
talked of a live-action/animation hybrid feature film, but nothing ever materialized.
MC Skat Kat also appeared in "Yakety Yak - Take it Back", a Public Service Announcement produced by the Take It Back Foundation in 1991. The music video featured appearances by celebrities including Pat Benatar
, Natalie Cole
, Charlie Daniels
, Lita Ford
, Quincy Jones
, B.B. King, Queen Latifah
, Kenny Loggins
, Randy Newman
, Tone Loc
, Ozzy Osbourne
, Brenda Russell
, Barry White
, Stevie Wonder
and a special appearance by Bugs Bunny
in an updated version of "Yakety Yak" retooled with a message about recycling. It premiered on MTV on April 10, 1991 (National Recycling Day), appeared as a trailer at AMC movie theaters, and was distributed on VHS and CD. It was later shown occasionally on Sesame Street
during the early 1990s, although no Sesame Street characters were present. The video also appeared once on Nickelodeon in 1995.
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
in the video for her song "Opposites Attract
Opposites Attract
"Opposites Attract" is a song recorded by Paula Abdul, featured on her debut album Forever Your Girl. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber, who came up with the title after browsing a bookstore. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, aka...
" in 1989.
History
The idea of Skat Kat came from the Gene KellyGene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
movie Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh (film)
Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney in which two sailors go on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, accompanied by music and song, meet an aspiring young singer and try to help her get an audition at MGM...
, in which Kelly's character dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
cartoon series. He was animated by members of the Disney animation team, working outside the studio between major projects, under the direction of Chris Bailey
Chris Bailey (animator)
Chris Bailey has had experience in both 2D animation and 3D animation.He went to high school at Reynolds High School, and later attended California Institute of the Arts....
.
MC Skat Kat was created by Michael Patterson
Michael Patterson
Michael Patterson is an experimental film artist, teacher, and a commercial film director specializing in TV spots and music videos. He currently teaches animation at the Division of Animation and Digital Arts at the USC School of Cinematic Arts...
and performed by The Wild Pair
The Wild Pair
The Wild Pair, whose real names are Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, was a singing duo who were primarily known for their 1990 hit duet with Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"...
duo of Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn on "Opposites Attract". He was also voiced by Romany Malco
Romany Malco
Romany Romanic Malco, Jr. is an American actor and music producer. He has been nominated for several awards, including an NAACP Image Award, MTV Movie Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. Malco portrayed Conrad Shepard on the Showtime series Weeds. He most recently played George St...
for the first rap of the song and by Derrick 'Delite' Stevens
Derrick Stevens
Derrick Stevens is a singer best known for lending his voice to MC Skat Kat after the character went solo, taking over from The Wild Pair who voiced the character in Paula Abdul's song and music video "Opposites Attract." However, in the Street mix version of the song, Stevens provided both the...
for the second rap, the latter of whom would provide vocals for the character in the MC Skat Kat solo album.
The character released an album entitled The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob
The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob
The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob is a 1991 album from fictional rapper MC Skat Kat.- Background :The album came about as the result of Paula Abdul's hugely successful Opposites Attract video of 1990, which was directed by Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger...
in 1991, but the release of the album flopped quickly after being issued in that same year. Some of the songs made references to Paula Abdul and Opposites Attract, but Abdul did not provide vocals, except for the intro in "On the Prowl"; she did, however, make an appearance in the video of "Skat Strut
Skat Strut
"Skat Strut" is a single of the fictional rapper MC Skat Kat, released in 1991. It was the first and only single released from The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob...
", the only single to be released. Despite the popularity of its music video (as it became one of the most requested on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
), the song never made an impact on any US Billboard chart.
Another single from the solo album, "Big Time," was given its own video with revised music. The song was labeled as "Big Time (Animation Mix)" on the Captive Sampler. The video was completed in January of 1992, but it remains unaired as of today. Most of the original animation was done by Eric Goldberg
Eric Goldberg (film director)
Eric Goldberg is an American animator and film director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He's also well known as the creator of Disney character Genie in Aladdin...
, who at the time was the lead animator of the Genie character in Disney's Aladdin
Aladdin (1992 film)
Aladdin is a 1992 American animated family film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Aladdin was the 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and was part of the Disney film era known as the Disney Renaissance...
feature film.
According to producer John Kafka, nobody was sure what to do with Skat after the videos were finished. Virgin Music and Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
talked of a live-action/animation hybrid feature film, but nothing ever materialized.
MC Skat Kat also appeared in "Yakety Yak - Take it Back", a Public Service Announcement produced by the Take It Back Foundation in 1991. The music video featured appearances by celebrities including Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
, Lita Ford
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is a British-born, American rock musician and singer who was the lead guitarist for The Runaways and achieved popularity for her solo career between the 1980s and late 2000s.-Early life:...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, B.B. King, Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
, Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, Tone Loc
Tone Loc
Anthony Terrell Smith , better known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor.-Early life and career:...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Known for her eclectic musical style, her recordings have encompassed several different genres, including pop, soul, dance, jazz and adult contemporary...
, Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and a special appearance by Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
in an updated version of "Yakety Yak" retooled with a message about recycling. It premiered on MTV on April 10, 1991 (National Recycling Day), appeared as a trailer at AMC movie theaters, and was distributed on VHS and CD. It was later shown occasionally on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
during the early 1990s, although no Sesame Street characters were present. The video also appeared once on Nickelodeon in 1995.
Physical appearance
Skat Kat has a flat-top and a small, square soul patch and wears a white tanktop, blue, baggy pants with black suspenders, and big tennis shoes. He sported an earring on his left ear starting with the album artwork and the Skat Strut music video.The Stray Mob
- Fatz — a short, raspy voiced cat who first appeared in the Opposites Attract video and briefly appeared twice with Skat Kat in "Yakety Yak - Take it Back". He wears a round, green cap with an orange stripe and a zigzag pattern on it, a light-orange shirt, a sea-green vest, blue pants, a medallion (originally blank in Opposites Attract before it gained a peace symbol). He also wears tennis shoes similar to Skat's, but slightly smaller. Before the release of Skat Kat's album, he had no whiskers. He can sometimes be seen wearing sunglasses similar to those Skat Kat wore in the Opposites Attract and Skat Strut videos. He is the most frequently heard character of the Stray Mob. His talents include beat boxing (Skat Strut) and playing the saxophone (Kat Stories). Formerly voiced by "Squeak" of the College Boyz.
- Taboo — a tall cat with black fur who appeared alongside Fatz in the Opposites Attract video. He wears a yellow t-shirt, red shorts, and shoes identical to Skat's. He also has a few tan-colored stripes on his tail. At certain times, he wore round sunglasses. He is explicably and momentarily heard during the song Kat Stories. Formerly voiced by "Rom" of the College Boyz.
- Leo — a brawny, brownish-orange-colored dog who seldom gets along with Skat, as evidenced in the Skat Strut video. He wears a maroon tanktop, orange and white striped shorts (orange and black on the album artwork), dark gray glovelettes, and a light blue hat with a back flap. He's supposedly the driver of a turquoise-colored limousine (which first appeared in the Skat Strut video), as suggested in New Kat Swing.
- Micetro — a light lavender-colored mouse who made a few silent appearances in the Opposites Attract video. He was seen mouthing the words "We can boogie on down" in the Skat Strut video. His name is derived from the plural form of "mouse" and the word "maestro."
- Katleen — a cat with orange fur, a black-colored tip at the end of her tail, a pink hairdo, black-colored clothing, and light gray shoes. In subsequent appearances, she also wore a blue bracelet or two and a necklace. Oddly, she is suggested to be the one providing the feminine voices in So Sweet So Young and I Go Crazy, since both voices sound different. However, in the unreleased Big Time music video, she not only had her own animated segments, but had several vocal performances different from the previous voices.
- Silk — a cat with brown fur. In the Skat Strut music video, she has reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, earrings, a dark purple skirt, a black top, a light green vest, and purple shoes. On the album artwork, before the Skat Strut video was aired, she had black hair, a red, sleeveless shirt, a black skirt, and no whiskers.
In popular culture
- In the 2009 Homestar RunnerHomestar RunnerHomestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
Halloween cartoon, Doomy Tales of the Macabre, Coach Z dresses up as MC Skat Kat.