Super Cat
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Super Cat (born William Maragh in Kingston, Jamaica, 1966) is one of the originators of the late 80's and early 90's dancehall movement. A reggae musician who came to prominence in the late 1980s and even more so in the early 1990s, Super Cat is of Jamaican and Indian descent. His nickname, the "Wild Apache" was given to him by his mentor Early B.
His first single as was entitled 'Mr. Walker' and was a hit in Jamaica. His song 'Boops' came soon after with the release of his debut album ' Si Boops Dey' and was a massive hit that spawned hundreds of responses and cemented him a place in reggae history. He put his name in the history books and knotched a place in US music scene with the album Don Dada. The album featured heavyweights in the Hip Hop arena such as Heavy D and Notorious B.I.G. Songs like Don Dada, Dolly My Baby and Ghetto Red Hot are considered classics. Controversy has always surrounded his career. One example is the death of the popular reggae artist Nitty Gritty, killed in a murky incident in New York City, where Super Cat was accused but denied any involvement. He also had an infamous shooting incident in a Sting stage show performance with then rival Ninjaman.
Super Cat had a number of hit singles in the early 1990s, including "Don Dada" and "Ghetto Red Hot," "Dem No Worry Me" with Heavy D and "Alright" with Kris Kross. These hits made him The Source magazine dancehall 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 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.
Super Cat was featured on the number one hit "Fly", a 1997 single by Sugar Ray from their platinum album. 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. 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.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1985 "Si Boops Deh"
- 1988 "Sweets for My Sweet"
- 1991 "Cabin Stabbin" (with Nicodemus & Junior Demus)
- 1992 "Don Dada"
- 1994 "Good, the Bad, the Ugly & the Crazy" (with Nicodemus, Junior Demus and Junior Cat)
- 1995 "The Struggle Continues"
- 2004 "Reggaematic Diamond All-Stars"