The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob
| The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob | ||||
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| Studio album by MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob | ||||
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Publication |
1991 |
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| Label (s) | Virgin Records , Captive Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, vinyl, music cassette |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
50:14 |
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Andre Williams , Keith Williams , George Corante , Paul Sherrod , Matt Sherrod , The College Boyz , Karl F. Stephenson , Dave Frank , Keith “KC” Cohen , Eddie Miller , Darryl Sutton , DJ Gill , Frank Z and Just Unique , Special K |
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The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob is the only studio album by the fictional American hip-hop formation MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob , released in 1991 .
backgrounds
With MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob is a fictional hip-hop group whose members from anthropomorphic cartoon - Cats and - mouse exist. The formation had their first appearance in 1990 in the music video for the pop song Opposites Attract by the American singer Paula Abdul and the group The Wild Pair . In this, animated characters were copied into a real film environment, where the musician interacts with them, with MC Skat Kat playing her boyfriend . Two rap verses were added to the song for the clip . The track became a number one hit in Abdul's homeland, and the accompanying video won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video .
After the great commercial and critical success, it was decided to continue marketing the character MC Skat Kat and to record an in-character album with his crew . For promotion of each of the seven members (MC Skat Kat, Fatz, Taboo, Katleen, Silk, Leo and Micetro) was a short, fictional biography equipped. The voice of the protagonist was done by Derrek “Delite” Stevens , who already recorded the raps on Opposites Attract ; other characters were played by Squeak , Talanda Shorter and Rom . With the exception of I Ain't No Kitty , No Dogs Allowed , I Go Crazy and Skat Kat's Theme , the majority of the songs were written by Rome; Delite was also responsible for the texts for two titles. They were supported by several other songwriters . Those involved in producing the album were Andre Williams , Keith Williams , George Corante , Paul Sherrod , Matt Sherrod , The College Boyz (which also includes Rom and Squeak), Karl F. Stephenson , Dave Frank , Keith “KC” Cohen , Eddie Miller , Darryl Sutton , DJ Gill , Frank Z and Just Unique and Special K involved.
The first and only single Skat Strut could not build on the success of the Paula Abdul title and only made it to number 80 in the US charts. However, it became a hit in Norway , where it climbed to number 9 on the charts. Also in New Zealand (11th), the Netherlands (No. 28) and Sweden (ranked 31), it was reflected significantly better than in the home of the musician. When the breakthrough was not achieved with the accompanying album The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob , the project (with the exception of an appearance shortly afterwards in the song Yakety Yak - Take It Back , which promoted recycling, and from a lineup consisted of several well-known stars and television characters). It was only when Abdul sang a medley of her best-known hits at the Billboard Music Awards 2019 that MC Skat Kat reappeared via the screen (without The Stray Mob) . Delite noted that the album's flop was probably due to the fact that the band's music was specifically marketed to Abdul's fan base, despite a completely different genre.
Music and lyrics
The musical style of The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob can be assigned to old-school hip-hop and pop-rap . Clear impacts of funk music and repeated beatboxing are characteristic elements of the songs on the album. Delite performs the lion's share of the vocals on every track, with occasional other members and studio musicians taking over passages. The interpreters always embody their respective fictional characters in the texts. The peculiarities and aesthetics of hip-hop culture are mixed with those of cartoons and those of the respective animal species. Topics include dancing , pop culture, and sexual attraction . The characters are aware that they are animated and that the lead rapper initiated his career with the help of Paula Abdul.
Cover design
On the cover of The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob , the seven members of the Stray Mob crew pose around a green car ; in the background you can see a wall made of red bricks . The group is animated, while the vehicle and the wall are photographs . MC Skat Kat, Katleen and Fatz lean against the car, while Silk sits in it and Micetro peeks out from underneath. Leo and Taboo stand by. In the upper right corner is the name “MC Skat Kat” written in large yellow letters, with “and the Stray Mob” between the last two words in small pink letters. In the form of an orange semicircle , “The Adventures of” can be read above the lettering.
Track list
| The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | title | length |
| 1. | Big time | 3:54 |
| 2. | I ain't no kitty | 4:37 |
| 3. | No Dogs Allowed | 5:27 |
| 4th | Gotta get up | 4:00 |
| 5. | Kat in the casino | 4:36 |
| 6th | On the Prowl | 4:07 |
| 7th | Skat Strut | 3:41 |
| 8th. | 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 |
criticism
The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob received mostly negative reviews. It was sometimes viewed as a poorly thought-out, purely commercial mass product that had little to do with the hip-hop movement, and it was criticized that, despite its clearly profit-oriented character, there was too little demand. It was noted, however, that the work as a novelty album would certainly offer entertainment.
success
The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob reached number 197 in the US charts and is considered a commercial flop. In the rest of the world it could not position itself in the charts.
Individual evidence
- ^ "Opposites Attract" music video. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ "Opposites Attract" US charts. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Grammy Award for Paula Abdul. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Album credits. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ AFFOTD article about MC Skat Kat. Accessed June 29, 2019 (English).
- ↑ "Skat Strut" US charts. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ "Skat Strut" charts. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Billboard article about Paula Abdul's appearance in 2019. Accessed June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ City Pages article about MC Skat Kat. Retrieved June 29, 2019 (English).
- ↑ Article about MC Skat Kat on Paula Abdul's website. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ "Skat Strut" -Songtext. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ^ "I Ain't No Kitty" lyrics. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ^ "No Dogs Allowed" lyrics. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ album cover. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ^ AllMusic review. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ^ AV Club's "Least Essential Albums of the 90s". Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
- ↑ US charts. Retrieved June 29, 2019 .
