Born to an
Afro-Jamaican mother and
Indo-Jamaican father, Super Cat was raised in Kingston's tough Seivright Gardens neighbourhood, then known as Cockburn Pen, home to ground-breaking
deejays like
Prince Jazzbo and
U-Roy. He lived in the Arnett Gardens area, and even briefly took shelter in the Calvary cemetery, before being caught up in a police raid and jailed at the infamous the General Penitentiary at the age of seventeen. After his release two years later, he soon began appearing as a deejay under the name "Cat-A-Rock" and the "Wild Apache," but soon switched to the name Super Cat. His first single "Mr. Walker", produced by
Winston Riley, was released in 1981 and established his recording career. He went on to record for
Jah Thomas ("Walk-a-ton," on which he was billed as 'Super Cat the Indian'), and his debut album,
Si Boops Deh!, was released in 1985, 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), 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 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. 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. Later in 2003, he collaborated with
112 for their song "
Na Na Na Na." Following the death of his longtime road manager Fred 'The Thunder' Donner in 2004, Super Cat released a multi-CD tribute album,
Reggaematic Diamond All-Stars that featured contributions from
Yami Bolo,
Michael Prophet,
Linval Thompson,
Nadine Sutherland and
Sizzla among others. In 2007, Super Cat headlined the Reggae Breeze concert in Japan with the Wild Apache Band. 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 later that year, with Etana,
Barrington Levy,
Buju Banton, Junior Reid, Tony Matterhorn,
Sizzla and
Beenie Man. In 2012, his song "Dance Inna New York" was sampled for the
Nas single "
The Don," from the rapper's album
Life Is Good, with Cat's vocals used as the hook. Super Cat made a surprise appearance at Massive B's on Da Reggae Tip concert in September 2013 during the set of
Shaggy. That same week, a mix of his work previously recorded during his time with The Neptunes label was released to the internet. In May 2014 he headlined the Reggae on the Bay festival in
Trinidad with
Maxi Priest and Midnite, and in 2016 he joined
Beenie Man,
Bounty Killer,
Tarrus Riley and
Luciano for the "Reggae Sumfest" in Jamaica. Super Cat teamed up with noted producer
Salaam Remi again in 2020, releasing the single "Push Time," along with a music video shot in
Queens, and later featured on Remi's album
Black on Purpose. In 2021, Super Cat appeared at the VERZUZ Iconz concert in
Brooklyn at the Barclay's Center dubbed the "Trillerverz," as part of a two-day event that featured
Wyclef Jean,
Konshens,
Baby Cham, and
Barrington Levy on day one and
Big Daddy Kane and
KRS-One on day two. Super Cat co-headlined the "Reggae Love Fest" at
Radio City Music Hall with
Shabba Ranks in May 2022, which also featured
Barrington Levy,
Junior Reid,
Cutty Ranks, and
Dawn Penn. In 2023, Super Cat performed at Reggae To The East in Canada and the following year at the Reggae Love Fest with
Shabba Ranks and
Capelton at the
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Super Cat proved he is still a force to be reckoned with on the 10th anniversary Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise (WTJRC) in 2025, where he shared the stage with
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and the legendary
Stone Love. Super Cat is the elder brother of reggae artist Junior Cat and first cousin of reggae singer
Marcia Griffiths, whose 1967 hit "Feel Like Jumping", was part of the rhythmic basis for his first hit single "Boops", which later became known as the "Boops" riddim. ==Discography==