Super Cat
Encyclopedia
Super Cat is a deejay
most popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall
movement. Super Cat was born in Jamaica and was nicknamed Wild Apache. His nickname, the "Wild Apache" was given to him by his mentor Early B
. He is the elder brother of reggae star Junior Cat.
n descent, Super Cat was raised in Kingston's tough Seivright Gardens neighborhood, then known as Cockburn Pen, home to ground-breaking deejay
s like Prince Jazzbo
and U-Roy
. By the time he was seven years old, he was hanging out at a local club called Bamboo Lawn, assisting the crew of the Soul Imperial sound system. He auditioned for Joe Gibbs
as a singer but was unsuccessful.
He began appearing as a deejay under the name Cat-A-Rock, but soon switched to the name Super Cat. He also appeared as 'Wild Apache'. His first single, the Winston Riley
-produced "Mr. Walker", was released in 1981, giving him some success, and he went on to record for Jah Thomas
("Walkathon", on which he was billed as 'Super Cat the Indian'), but his career was interrupted by a spell in prison. After his release he began working with Early B on the Killamanjaro sound system in 1984, and his debut album, Si Boops Deh!, was released in the mid-1980s, and included the hit singles "Boops" (which was based on Steely & Clevie
's updated "Feel Like Jumping" rhythm and sparked a craze for songs about sugar daddies
), and "Cry Fi De Youth", establishing his style of dancehall
with conscious lyrics.
He started his own Wild Apache Productions label and began producing his own recordings, including the 1988 album Sweets For My Sweet. He featured on the album Cabin Stabbin in 1991 along with Nicodemus
and Junior Demus. He had been scheduled to perform at the One Love concert in the UK in 1991, but his appearance was cancelled after the shooting dead of Nitty Gritty
, for which Super Cat was initially suspected but cleared in 1992. Continuing success saw him move to the United States and sign a contract with Columbia Records
, releasing one of the first dancehall albums on a major label, Don Dada (1992). The following year, Sony Music issued The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Crazy, teaming Super Cat with Nicodemus, Junior Demus and Junior Cat.
Super Cat had a number of hit singles in the early 1990s, including "Don Dada", "Ghetto Red Hot" and "Dem No Worry We" with Heavy D. In 1992, he was featured on the remix of "Jump" with Kris Kross
, and he also collaborated with them in 1993 for their song "It's Alright". These hits made him The Source magazine
dance hall artist of the year in 1993. He was also an early collaborator with The Notorious B.I.G.
, featuring the then unknown artist (along with Mary J. Blige
, 3rd Eye
and Puff Daddy
) on the B-side remix of "Dolly My Baby" in 1993. The title song, "Don Dada" was a reply to many jabs made by Ninjaman.
His version of Fats Domino
's "My Girl Josephine", performed with Jack Radics, was included in the soundtrack to the film Prêt-à-Porter
in 1994. In 1997 he was featured on the number one hit "Fly
" by Sugar Ray
from their platinum album Floored. He collaborated with India Arie on her hit song "Video" in 2001, and with Jadakiss
and The Neptunes
on "The Don Of Dons" in 2003. Also in 2003, he collaborated with 112
for their song "Na Na Na Na
". Following the death of his long time road manager Fred 'The Thunder' Donner in 2004, Super Cat released a multi-cd tribute album entitled Reggaematic Diamond All-Stars that featured contributions from Yami Bolo
, Michael Prophet
, Linval Thompson
, Nadine Sutherland
and Sizzla
among others. Apache Indian another Indian Descent Reggae artist from Birmingham has a lot of Inspiration from Super Cat, other artists who have been influenced by Super Cat include the likes of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Collie Buddz
, Sean Paul
and many more. Vintage reggae selector and former Redeye Distribution
marketing director James "DJ Ras J" McGurk of Chapel Hill was once a roadie and driver for Super Cat and Wild Apache. Super Cat reappeared on the national reggae scene in 2008 for a show at Madison Square Garden
with Buju Banton
and Barrington Levy
. He also headlined the 'Best of the Best' concert in Miami in 2008, with Assassin, Etana, Barrington Levy
, Buju Banton
, Junior Reid, Tony Matterhorn, Sizzla
and Beenie Man
.
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
most popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
movement. Super Cat was born in Jamaica and was nicknamed Wild Apache. His nickname, the "Wild Apache" was given to him by his mentor Early B
Early B
Earlando Arrington Neil, better known by his stage name Early B, was an early dancehall and reggae deejay whose lyrics had a cultural bent, noted mainly in his hits Visit of King Selassie, History of Jamaica and Wheely Wheely, the latter an ode to bicycle-riding in Jamaica.-Biography:Earlando was...
. He is the elder brother of reggae star Junior Cat.
Biography
Born to an Afro-Jamaican mother and a Jamaican father of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n descent, Super Cat was raised in Kingston's tough Seivright Gardens neighborhood, then known as Cockburn Pen, home to ground-breaking deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
s like Prince Jazzbo
Prince Jazzbo
Prince Jazzbo is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay and producer.Prince Jazzbo began recording with Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in the early 1970s...
and U-Roy
U-Roy
U-Roy , OD, is a Jamaican musician, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.-Biography:...
. By the time he was seven years old, he was hanging out at a local club called Bamboo Lawn, assisting the crew of the Soul Imperial sound system. He auditioned for Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs (record producer)
Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
as a singer but was unsuccessful.
He began appearing as a deejay under the name Cat-A-Rock, but soon switched to the name Super Cat. He also appeared as 'Wild Apache'. His first single, the Winston Riley
Winston Riley
Winston Riley worked as a songwriter and record producer of Jamaican music. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Riley has a claim to being the most successful reggae producer of all-time.-Biography:...
-produced "Mr. Walker", was released in 1981, giving him some success, and he went on to record for Jah Thomas
Jah Thomas
Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.-Biography:...
("Walkathon", on which he was billed as 'Super Cat the Indian'), but his career was interrupted by a spell in prison. After his release he began working with Early B on the Killamanjaro sound system in 1984, and his debut album, Si Boops Deh!, was released in the mid-1980s, and included the hit singles "Boops" (which was based on Steely & Clevie
Steely & Clevie
Steely & Clevie, aka Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae production duo. It worked with artists such as the Specials, Gregory Peck , Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and No Doubt....
's updated "Feel Like Jumping" rhythm and sparked a craze for songs about sugar daddies
Sugar Daddy
"Sugar Daddy" is a hit single for Motown quintet The Jackson 5 in late 1971.The song, which peaked at #3 on the R&B singles chart and #10 on the pop singles chart in the beginning of 1972, was one of the Jackson 5 hits produced by The Corporation: Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, and...
), and "Cry Fi De Youth", establishing his style of dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
with conscious lyrics.
He started his own Wild Apache Productions label and began producing his own recordings, including the 1988 album Sweets For My Sweet. He featured on the album Cabin Stabbin in 1991 along with Nicodemus
Nicodemus (musician)
Cecil Wellington , better known as Nicodemus, was a Jamaican reggae deejay who released a string of albums in the 1980s and 1990s.-Biography:...
and Junior Demus. He had been scheduled to perform at the One Love concert in the UK in 1991, but his appearance was cancelled after the shooting dead of Nitty Gritty
Nitty Gritty
Glen Augustus Holness , otherwise known by his stage name Nitty Gritty, was a popular Reggae singer. Born in the August Town section of Kingston, Jamaica, he was the second of eleven children born to religious parents....
, for which Super Cat was initially suspected but cleared in 1992. Continuing success saw him move to the United States and sign a contract with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, releasing one of the first dancehall albums on a major label, Don Dada (1992). The following year, Sony Music issued The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Crazy, teaming Super Cat with Nicodemus, Junior Demus and Junior Cat.
Super Cat had a number of hit singles in the early 1990s, including "Don Dada", "Ghetto Red Hot" and "Dem No Worry We" with Heavy D. In 1992, he was featured on the remix of "Jump" with Kris Kross
Kris Kross
Kris Kross was an American rap duo of the 1990s comprising Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo are best known for their hit 1992 song "Jump", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single...
, and he also collaborated with them in 1993 for their song "It's Alright". These hits made him The Source magazine
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
dance hall artist of the year in 1993. He was also an early collaborator with The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
, featuring the then unknown artist (along with Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, 3rd Eye
Jesse West
Jesse West, aka 3rd Eye is a producer/rapper. Born Jesse Williams III on December 4, 1967 in the South Bronx, New York, Jesse grew up in the Bronx River Projects, where the Master/Teacher DJ Afrika Bambaataa founded the Universal Zulu Nation.- History :...
and Puff Daddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
) on the B-side remix of "Dolly My Baby" in 1993. The title song, "Don Dada" was a reply to many jabs made by Ninjaman.
His version of Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
's "My Girl Josephine", performed with Jack Radics, was included in the soundtrack to the film Prêt-à-Porter
Prêt-à-Porter (film)
Prêt-à-Porter is a 1994 American satirical black comedy film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers...
in 1994. In 1997 he was featured on the number one hit "Fly
Fly (Sugar Ray song)
"Fly" is a song by rock band Sugar Ray. It appears on their 1997 album Floored twice: one version with reggae artist Super Cat and the other without ....
" by Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
from their platinum album Floored. He collaborated with India Arie on her hit song "Video" in 2001, and with Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
and The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
on "The Don Of Dons" in 2003. Also in 2003, he collaborated with 112
112 (band)
112 is an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly artists on Diddy's Bad Boy Records, the group signed to the Def Soul roster in 2002. They had great success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as "Only You", "Anywhere" and "Peaches & Cream"...
for their song "Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na
"Na Na Na Na" was the first single from 112's 2003 album, Hot & Wet. The song features Dancehall legend Super Cat.- Charts :...
". Following the death of his long time road manager Fred 'The Thunder' Donner in 2004, Super Cat released a multi-cd tribute album entitled Reggaematic Diamond All-Stars that featured contributions from Yami Bolo
Yami Bolo
Yami Bolo is a Jamaican reggae singer and performer.-Biography:Rolando Ephraim McLean, better known as Yami Bolo, is a Jamaican reggae singer, musician, artist, and performer. He was born on October 1, 1970 and grew up in Kingston 13...
, Michael Prophet
Michael Prophet
Michael Prophet is a roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977.-Biography:...
, Linval Thompson
Linval Thompson
Linval Thompson is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and record producer.-Biography:Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent time with his mother in Queens, New York, and his recording career began around the age of 20 with the self-released "No Other Woman," recorded in Brooklyn, New...
, Nadine Sutherland
Nadine Sutherland
Nadine Sutherland is a Jamaican reggae singer whose early career was nurtured by Bob Marley. She went on to become a successful dancehall artist in the 1990s.-Biography:...
and Sizzla
Sizzla
Sizzla Kalonji, or simply Sizzla in are de reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is well-known for his above-average prolificacy...
among others. Apache Indian another Indian Descent Reggae artist from Birmingham has a lot of Inspiration from Super Cat, other artists who have been influenced by Super Cat include the likes of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Collie Buddz
Collie Buddz
Collie Buddz is a Bermudian reggae and dancehall artist best known for his single "Come Around". Although born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was raised in Bermuda. He performed on Shaggy's 2007 album Intoxication on the track "Mad Mad World". In 2008, he performed the song "SOS" on WWE The Music,...
, Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
and many more. Vintage reggae selector and former Redeye Distribution
Redeye Distribution
Redeye Distribution is an independent music distribution company founded in 1996 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Redeye currently distributes such labels as Marsalis Music, Barsuk Records, Warp Records, Daptone Records, Luaka Bop Records, Kill Rock Stars, Sargent House, Hydra Head Records, The...
marketing director James "DJ Ras J" McGurk of Chapel Hill was once a roadie and driver for Super Cat and Wild Apache. Super Cat reappeared on the national reggae scene in 2008 for a show at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
with Buju Banton
Buju Banton
Buju Banton is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician.Banton has recorded pop and dance songs, as well as songs dealing with sociopolitical topics....
and Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...
. He also headlined the 'Best of the Best' concert in Miami in 2008, with Assassin, Etana, Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...
, Buju Banton
Buju Banton
Buju Banton is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician.Banton has recorded pop and dance songs, as well as songs dealing with sociopolitical topics....
, Junior Reid, Tony Matterhorn, Sizzla
Sizzla
Sizzla Kalonji, or simply Sizzla in are de reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is well-known for his above-average prolificacy...
and Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
.
Albums
- Si Boops Deh! (1985), Techniques
- Boops! (1986), Skengdon
- Sweets for My Sweet (1988), Wild Apache
- Cabin Stabbin (1991), Wild Apache - with Nicodemus & Junior Demus
- Don Dada (1992), Columbia
- Good, the Bad, the Ugly & the Crazy (1994), Columbia - with NicodemusNicodemus (musician)Cecil Wellington , better known as Nicodemus, was a Jamaican reggae deejay who released a string of albums in the 1980s and 1990s.-Biography:...
, Junior Demus and Junior Cat - The Struggle Continues (1995), Columbia
- Take 2 (2003), Sony - with Mad CobraMad CobraEwart Everton Brown , better known by his stage name of Mad Cobra or simply Cobra is a Jamaican reggae musician.-Biography:...
- Reggaematic Diamond All-Stars (2004), Wild Apache
DVD
- Pick of the Past Keeling Reggae - with Nicodemus, Junior Demus, Louie Rankin, and Trevor Sparks
External links
- Wild Apache Productions
- [ Super Cat on Allmusic]
- Super Cat at Dancehall Reggae