MC Skat Kat

MC Skat Kat is an animated cat character who appeared with Paula Abdul in the video for her song "Opposites Attract" in 1989.

MC Skat Kat
MC Skat Kat with Paula Abdul in the 1989 music video "Opposites Attract"
Background information
OriginUnited States
GenresHip hop
Years active1989–1991
LabelsVirgin
Associated actsPaula Abdul
The Wild Pair
Derrick Stevens

History

MC Skat Kat was created by Michael Patterson and performed by The Wild Pair duo of Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn on "Opposites Attract". MC Skat Kat's rap was written and performed by Derrick Stevens, although Romany Malco who did the majority of the writing for the M.C. Skat Kat & the Stray Mob album is often mistakenly credited for being the voice of the rap on Opposites Attract, a story perpetuated by Abdul herself.[1] Derrick Stevens also provided vocals for the character in the MC Skat Kat solo album.

Patterson got the idea for Skat Kat from the Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, in which Kelly's character dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. Patterson would originally play small gigs dressed in full cat attire, though soon after become a studio musician with the character becoming fully animated by members of the Disney and Warner Bros. animation team, working outside the studios between major projects, under the direction of Chris Bailey.

The character released the album The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob in 1991 on Kings Records.[2] Paula Abdul made an appearance in the music video of the only single "Skat Strut".[3] Despite peaking at No. 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100, Skat Strut reached No. 11 on the New Zealand Pop Singles chart, No. 9 on the Norwegian Pop Singles chart, No. 28 on the Dutch Pop Singles chart and No. 31 on the Swedish Pop Singles chart.[4][5][6][7][8]

MC Skat Kat also featured in "Yakety Yak, Take It Back", an all-star public service music video produced by Warner Bros. in 1991 for the Take It Back Foundation. The music video featured appearances by numerous celebrities, for a new version of the song "Yakety Yak" with a message about recycling.[9]

MC Skat Kat later appeared in American Dad! season 13's sixth episode "Kiss Kiss Cam Cam", on February 29, 2016.[10]

The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob

The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob is a 1991 album from MC Skat Kat. The album came about as the result of Paula Abdul's successful "Opposites Attract" video of 1990, which was directed by Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger. The Stray Mob consists of fictional characters Fatz, Taboo, Micetro, Leo, Katleen, and Silk, the first three of whom appeared in the "Opposites Attract" music video. Two music videos for the album were directed by Patterson and Reckinger, only one of which was released.

The only single from the album, "Skat Strut", samples Earth Wind & Fire's 1981 hit "Let's Groove", with Abdul making a brief appearance in the video. It only reached number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100[11] but fared better overseas, peaking at numbers 9 and 31 on the Norwegian and Swedish charts, respectively.[12][13] The vocal style and length in the music video differed from those from the album version.[14]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]

The album was poorly received and it failed to chart. In 1999, The A.V. Club deemed it the "least essential" album of the 1990s, calling it "a product of clueless committee thinking and Milli Vanilli-style studio hackwork at its most cynical", and concluding that "never has a mass-produced album been demanded by so few."[16]

Track listing
Cover of the album's only single, "Skat Strut", which peaked at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100.
  1. "Big Time" – 3:53
  2. "I Ain't No Kitty" – 4:37
  3. "No Dogs Allowed" – 5:28
  4. "Gotta Get Up" – 4:00
  5. "Kat in the Casino" – 4:36
  6. "On the Prowl" – 4:06
  7. "Skat Strut" – 3:41
  8. "Kat Stories" – 4:02
  9. "So Sweet So Young" – 3:47
  10. "I Go Crazy" – 3:21
  11. "New Kat Swing" – 4:03
  12. "Skat Kat's Theme" – 4:39
gollark: Also I'm the contractor running security and possibly the entire electoral system.
gollark: Yep!
gollark: We respect the work of Keanu73 but want to improve stuff more than Ale will.
gollark: Vote Walrus Party.
gollark: Down with constituencies/"electoral college"!

References
  1. Romany Malco interview, Wendy Williams Show, October 29, 2013.
  2. MC Skat Kat: The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob. Kings Records. 1991.
  3. MC Skat Kat featuring Paula Abdul – Skat Strut. YouTube. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  4. "Billboard". Books.google.com. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  5. "MC SKAT KAT & THE STRAY MOB - SKAT STRUT". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
  6. "MC SKAT KAT & THE STRAY MOB - SKAT STRUT". norwegiancharts.com. VG-lista.
  7. "MC SKAT KAT & THE STRAY MOB - SKAT STRUT". charts.nz. RIANZ.
  8. "MC SKAT KAT & THE STRAY MOB - SKAT STRUT". sverigetopplistan.se. Sverigetopplistan.
  9. "Take It Back Foundation". Joliejones.com. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  10. ""American Dad!" Kiss Kiss Cam Cam (TV Episode 2016)". imdb.com. IMDb.
  11. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (12 October 1991). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 1. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  12. Norwegian Top 20 Singles Chart Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved February 14, 2008
  13. Swedish Top 100 Singles Chart Swedishcharts.com Retrieved February 14, 2008
  14. "Animation". 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  15. "The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob – MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  16. Keith Phipps; et al. (December 22, 1999). "Least Essential Albums of the '90s". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
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