• News & Editorials
  • Claat News
  • Bio-/ Discographies
  • International News
  • Interviews
  • Latest Releases
  • Lyrics Database
  • Reviews
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap
• Events
  • Event Calendar
  • Events Archive
  • Event Galleries
  • Featured Events
  • Live Broadcasts
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap
• Community
  • Downloads
  • Link Directory
  • Music Videos
  • Surveys
  • User Gallery
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap
• About Us
  • Contact Claat
  • Impressum/Imprint
  • Marketing Info
  • Newsletter Management
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap

---

Bobby Crystal & Junior Cat inna Interview

---

As Youth Promotion toured around Germany in December 2002, we had a chance to have a talk with two artists outta Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion camp: Junior Cat and Bobby Crystal, two artists who've been around since the early 80s. Both had to tell us - about the old times as well about recent happenings
Cla.at: Junior Cat, perhaps you could start telling us when you started to do music and how your carreer was going on from then on...
Junior Cat: Yeah, this is Junior Cat. Nuff respect to all nice and decent people out there in the world. I started my career down inna ghetto, back in Kingston, Jamaica. Been deejaying with a soundsystem an' ting. From me a youth, I go a school, and all dem way dey a competition, you know? Started with a sound named Soul Imperial, it was five of us. Some of the youths, dem never really make it, some youths drop out, some youths end up a prison, bad life and all dem way, you know? I started deejay with a bigger sound, Killamanjaro. People see ma outta road an ting, "Junior Cat a gwaan", see me a seh? From Killamanjaro I move on to King Stereomars, another sound down in the country. I did my first recording on the Jaro label, a tune named "Anorexol Body", that was 1986, and then I moved on to King Jammys, done tunes like "Wouldn't Let You Go", "People Dead", "Top Dog", "Rougher Than Rough", whole heap a tune dem... Then I went to the States, that was 1991. I got big tunes dem play in America, "Iron Gloves" and dem tunes deh... I went to New York and link up with Super Cat again. Wild Apache label, colloborate with Columbia. We did an album called "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly And The Crazy", with Nicodemus, Junior Demus, Super Cat and me, Junior Cat. That's when we got popular in the US and Kanada. After that I went back to Jamaica, started freelance, start me own thing. Did a couple of stage shows. Then I started a little lable from myself, just cool out and get comfortable. Voiced some of me bredren, like Terry Ganzie, Courtney Melody, whole heap a likkle youths... Released a couple of tunes, and the just cool out again. Right now me have some new single in Jamaica right now, dem nah reach Europe or England yet. Released in Jamaica, on the Gargamel label. Tune like "We don't give a damn pon politicians", "Outlaw ting"...

Cla.at: Gargamel is Buju Banton's label. How come this connection?
Junior Cat: Buju Banton is me bredrin. Though we never done a combination together still, but I record on his label, doing a couple of singles fe him.

Cla.at: Do you see yourself more as a producer or as an artist?
Junior Cat: Well, I'm more an artist. Producing was just like, I started a little label running for six months... Yuh dunn know, you haffi go and entertain people, you haffi go and meditate pon whe you waan do. Right now me deal with the entertainment part. Later in the future, when tings a ripe, we can sit back and produce a couple of tunes.just like jumping and clapping and ting like dat, so we really enjoy it. That was more a small dance... Last night there was a bigger event, more prestigeous.

Cla.at: To an other topic... Ricky Trooper told in an interview that you gave him his name Ricky...
Junior Cat: Yeah. Trooper came to Jaro as a deejay, he wasn't a selector when he came to Killamanjaro. But he wasn't like the other guys dem, ruff an' ting, an' you know, Jaro sound a ruff sound, yuh understand? So me leave Killamanjaro, as me tell you, done some records and went to the States, and when me come back a Jamaica, Trooper select the sound ! Trooper was the one to bring back Jaro sound, cause the sound was like going down, and Trooper bring it back, so me still respect him fe dat. 'Im have power inna him same way.

Cla.at: But how he came to his name "Ricky Trooper"?
Junior Cat: Him was a trooper because him was in a band, dem scout ting, dem soldier ting for dem youth. And when him come, we just start call him "Ricky", so de name stuck pon him, "Ricky Trooper". You understand? When him come to Jaro, he was a trooper, and we add to him "Ricky" as a nickname.

Cla.at: How come the connection to Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion?
Junior Cat: Sugar Minott is our godfather from youth still, you know what I mean? All the youths used to be around Sugar Minott: Tenor Saw, Yami Bolo, Junior Cat, Daddy Shark, Blacka T, Donna P, you know? Dat was Youth Promotion about, youths. Even Sugar Minott empire down in Jamaica, even when he's not there, it's just [...] (?) youths same way. You know, we get up coming an gwaan, [...] (?). The Black Roots ting is a big ting, because Sugar Minott is one of the first man whe voice me pon a record...

Cla.at: When was that?
Junior Cat: Something round 1985... Inna Kingston 13 area, before him move over to another part of Kingston. Him was one of the first man who really call me and voice me up pon a record, what me couldn't believe, because there were so much people at the studio. So me say ?Why me?? Me was a new yute who came up like "Gimme a bligh!". And from dat day me know personally dat me nah look back again, you understand? Because if a veteran like Sugar Minott can record me, dat mean seh me doing good !

Cla.at: How did your brother, Super Cat, influence your carreer?
Junior Cat: Well, in some way I would say yes. Because Super Cat is a former inspirer to me, but a lot of people feel like Super Cat is my brether an I'm living off Super Cat. I got my own style, I build my own carreer. But I would say, respect. Though, a lot of people don't really know about Junior Cat, but for the name Super Cat, you know, dem would still [..] (?), you understand? But when it's showtime, I can still prove to the people what Junior Cat is about. Always hardcore !

Cla.at: Did you ever do tours together, you and Super Cat?
Junior Cat: Yeah , that was in America, places like Pittsborough, California, I was moving around, I was doing a couple of records with him dat time... Yeh, we toured a couple of times together...

Cla.at: Do you plan to come back to Germany more often?
Junior Cat: Well, right now we don't have much to do in Germany, but we will be back early next year, we have things we're looking forward to. But we're not trying to pressure it, we're more like on a promo tour right now, getting to know the people and places. When we'll be coming back, we'll be coming back with records, albums, things like that... More official movements, yeah.

---

---

Attached Images

---