eMusic

Start Your Trial

Red Rat

Red Rat

Rate it!

Avg: 5.0 (1 rating)

  • Born: Jan. 17, 1978
  • Years Active: 1990s, 2000s

Biography

One of the most endearing brats you're likely to hear, ambitious dancehall DJ Red Rat's semi-comical lyrics, spoiled brat delivery, and frequent intonations of "Oh no!" have won the St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, native a following that spans all ages. Born into a musical family that includes a former guitarist for Byron Lee & the Dragonnaires (his father), a former bassist for Diana King (his older brother), and a drummer for the group KRU (his second-oldest brother), Red Rat (born Wallace Wilson) knew from a very young age that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his siblings and father. It was through one of his brothers that Red Rat made his first recorded appearance. He guest DJ'd on KRU's "Can't Live Without You" in 1995, when he was still in high school. Though he could have gotten his career rolling faster at that point, Red Rat opted to finish school before devoting all of his energies to music. Performances at Teen Splash '96 and Sting provided significant exposure for the DJ, who won over both crowds. By the end of 1997, Red Rat racked up a trio of Jamaican radio smashes, in addition to the release of his full-length debut, Oh No...It's Red Rat. A well-received record for its singular exuberance and humor, only a couple songs touched a level of seriousness. One of those moments was "Rumors," which dealt with his alleged death from gunshots. His second album, I'm a Big Kid Now, followed in 2000.
— Andy Kellman , All Music Guide

Related Artists Ancestors, Peers and Acolytes

Similar Artists:

Elephant Man, Cosmo, Krosfyah, John Brown's Body

Explore music recommended by Red Rat fans

“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

Back
Forward

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.

Legal or copyright question regarding Facebook, YouTube, Flickr or Wikipedia content on eMusic? Please email us.