finetune artist: Red Rat

b. Wallace Wilson, 17 January 1978, St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. Wilson came from a musical family - his father played guitar as part of Byron Lee And The Dragonaires, while his eldest brother played bass for Diana King, and another brother played keyboards and drums in the band KRU. By his fourth birthday, Wilson was performing in front of audiences in Jamaica, although he cited his first notable performance as being at a school barbecue in 1990. He was DJing under the guise of Mice (a name given to him by his football coach) when the MC halted the proceedings, stating that if the crowd wanted more they should throw money onto the stage. The crowd obliged and inspired the young DJ to persevere on his chosen path. The event encouraged Danny Browne to sign Wilson, who subsequently gained considerable experience with the Main Street Crew, also featuring General Degree, Buccaneer, Goofy and Hawkeye. Wilson recorded his debut, "Can't Live Without You", in 1995 as a guest DJ with his brother's band KRU; this was followed by "Itsy Bitsy" under his new name, Red Rat (there were already two other DJs using the Mice name - his new name was inspired by General Degree's comment, "yah red and yah look like a rat"). On completing his education, Red Rat was greeted with two encores when he played at the annual Sting Festival. His recording career went into overdrive with the exuberant "Shelly Ann", "Dwayne" and "Good Boy". His distinctive cry, audacious lyrics, babyface looks, red medusa hairstyle and infectious catchphrase, "oooh nooo", resulted in international notoriety. "Shelly Ann" topped the reggae charts worldwide and was acknowledged as the ragga anthem of 1997. His popularity resulted in international tours with the Main Street Crew, including highly acclaimed performances at London's Notting Hill carnival. He released a succession of Jamaican hits including combinations with Buju Banton ("Love Dem Bad") and Goofy ("Big Man Little Yute"), alongside the solo hits "Wrigley's" and "Can't Manage".

Listen to Red Rat at Finetune.

Dwayne
Buddy She Want
Bad Gal
Bruk Mi Ducks
And Still I Love You