Wallace Wilson (born 17 January 1978), better known by the
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Red Rat, is a
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n
dancehall reggae
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.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
recording and performing artist.
[Kellman, Andy]
Red Rat Biography
, Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, retrieved 2011-02-15 He is known for his up-beat music, comical style, and signature catch phrase "Oh, no!"
Early life
Wilson was born in Saint Ann's Bay,
Saint Ann Parish
Saint Ann is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called "the Garden Parish of Jamaica" on ac ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
.
Wilson's father was the guitarist of
Byron Lee & the Dragonaires
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (known as Byron Lee's Dragonaires after Lee's death and now The Dragonaires) are a Jamaican ska, calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron ...
, and two of his older brothers were also professional musicians.
Red Rat's debut album, ''Oh, No.. It's Red Rat'' (1997), featured songs such as "Shelly Ann", "Dwayne", "Tight-Up Skirt", "Cruise" (featured in the movie ''
The Big Hit
''The Big Hit'' is a 1998 American action comedy film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Che-Kirk Wong, and stars Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Bokeem Woodbine, Antonio Sabàto Jr., China Chow, Avery Brooks, Lainie Kazan, ...
''), and "Big Man, Little Yute". It became one of the best selling records from
Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to ''Greensleeves Records'', is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records star ...
.
His second album, ''I’m a Big Kid Now'', followed in 2000,
with more hits and critical acclaim. His musical diversity and mainstream popularity led to a series of collaborations with artists such as Treach of Naughty by Nature, Kele Le Roc, Renee from Zhane, NEXT, British electronic group
Groove Armada
Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "At the River", "I See You Baby" and "Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of whic ...
and his cousin, Canadian hip-hop artist,
Dan-e-o
Daniel Faraldo (born June 10, 1977), known professionally as Dan-e-o, is a Canadian hip hop artist and actor of Jamaican and Spanish descent. In June 2015, Dan-e-o received the award for ''Best Hip Hop Artist'' at the ''Black Canadian Awards''. He ...
. Recently, Red Rat reemerged back in the media with his new hit, "Rise up, Zimbabwe" which was a joint project with ABRA (African Bread Recording Artists). The song was released in April 2010 and immediately saw popularity in the music fans of
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
.
In 2009, Red Rat rebranded himself and was offered an opportunity to become the President of A&R/Musical Director at an independent record label called Infinity Moguls Inc. He began working with a young female artist named Pascalle, who is his business partner with Infinity Moguls. Pascalle performed with him all over the world. He began to coach her personally. Red Rat then went on to collaborate with Dan-e-o, his cousin, a Toronto-based rapper, the song also featured Pascalle, called "Hoo Yuh Want?" Followed by Red Rat, Infinity Moguls teamed up with ABRA in 2010, for the release of "Rise Up, Zimbabwe" which became an anthem. Red Rat revisited the
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
market, where Infinity Moguls partnered with Ruff and Tuff on another song that became Pascalle's single "HAUTE" featuring Red Rat and Toledo. The song was released in 2016, and quickly topped the Caribbean charts.
In 2016 Red Rat teamed up with DJ Buddha to create an
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
/
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.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
/
moombahton
Moombahton (, ) is an electronic dance music genre, derived from house music and reggaeton, that was created by American DJ and producer Dave Nada in Washington, D.C., in 2009. Nada coined the name as a portmanteau of "Moombah" (a track by Sur ...
fused song called "Higher" featuring an up-and-coming artist called dEvolve which was released in September 2016 and became one of the fastest song to get over three million streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
in less than three months.
Discography
*''Oh, No.. It's Red Rat'' (1997),
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fol ...
*''I'm a Big Kid Now'' (2000), Greensleeves
*''Monsters of Dancehall'' (2008), Greensleeves
References
External links
*
Infinity Moguls*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Rat
1978 births
Living people
Jamaican dancehall musicians
Jamaican reggae musicians
People from Saint Ann Parish
Greensleeves Records artists