Phat Kat
| Phat Kat | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ronald Watts |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Associated acts | Slum Village, T3, J Dilla, Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Royce da 5'9" |
Phat Kat (b. Ronnie Watts) is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan, best known as a favorite collaborator of the late J Dilla.
Biography
His career began in the mid 90's as part of 1st Down, which consisted of Phat Kat on vocals and Jay Dee on production. The group was short lived however, possibly because of insufficient support/promotion from their label, Payday, but the two continued to collaborate on many occasions afterwards, starting with an appearance on "Fat Cat Song" and its remix, from Slum Village's Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1).
In an interview, he spoke in regards to his time and music creations alongside Dilla, as well as the producer's work ethic:
| “ | Dilla didn’t fuck around in the studio. Everybody else had to adjust their style to keep up with Dilla, or if they ever wanted the chance to work with Dilla. You had to be able to knock out your verse in one take. I’ve seen Dilla make beats in 10 minutes. We made that track off of Welcome 2 Detroit in 10 minutes flat. We completed the whole Dedication To The Suckers EP from scratch in less than one night. He did the beats and I laid the verses. We started at 9 p.m. and finished by 12 midnight.[1] | ” |
His first full-length album, The Undeniable LP was released on June 22, 2004, on Barak Records. It featured appearances from Slum Village, Dwele, Big Tone of 87 Wasted Youth, and Obie Trice. Kat released a 12-inch single in late 2006 for the song Cold Steel produced by J Dilla, he then followed it with his latest LP, Carte Blanche, on April 24 on Look Records. The album has proved to be Kat's most universally acknowledged effort yet.[citation needed]
During a radio interview with T3 in WJLB, Phat Kat rung in and spoke against T3. He stated that T3 had dismantled the group, after the Reunion Pt 2 video was released and Elzhi wasn't in the video. T3 had said that he and Elzhi were still on good speaking terms, however Phat Kat contradicted him saying that "Elzhi ain't f***ing witchu, don't do that to the fans, keep it real". T3 didn't know what the future of Slum Village was as Elzhi hadn't released a statement regarding his intentions of whether to continue Slum Village and Phat Kat strongly disagreed. Phat Kat was incredibly incensed and continued to swear as T3 tried to explain.
Discography
Albums
- The Undeniable LP (2004, Barak Records)
- The Quiet Bubble (2006, Mixtape)
- Carte Blanche (2007, Look Records)
- Katakombz (TBA)
EPs
- Dedication To The Suckers EP (2002)
- The Undeniable EP (2004)
Singles
- 1st Down (Phat Kat & Jay Dee) - A Day Wit' The Homies (1995, Payday)
- Dedication To The Suckers (1999, House Shoes Recordings)
- Club Banger (2001, Barak)
- Boss Of All Bosses Featuring Phat Kat, Nature & P-Dap (2005, DMB Records)
- Game Over Ft. Phat Kat & Jay Dee (2005, Ghostly International)
- Cold Steel (2007, Look Records)
Appearances
- 2001 "Featuring Phat Kat" (from the Jay Dee album Welcome 2 Detroit)
- 2004 "True Story" (from the B.R. Gunna album Dirty District: Vol. 2)
- 2004 "Zoom" (from the Slum Village album "Detroit Deli"
- 2005 "Hear This" (from the Slum Village album Slum Village)
- 2005 "Detroit Rapstar" (from the Lil Skeeter album Detroit Rapstar)
- 2007 "Lookatusnow" from the Black Milk album Popular Demand
- 2008 "Bonus Track prod. Metodo Shintaro" from the Shotta Sangre album
- 2008 "Keep it Real" with Elzhi and "Do It" from the Cadik album "Basic"
References
External links
- dropmagazine.com Interview with Phat Kat
- Metal Lungies.com interview with Phat Kat
- DetroitHipHop.net interview with Phat Kat
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