Red Rat
Pioneers & 90s Icons
known for
Dancehall artist known for his comical, up-tempo style and the 1997 chart-topping hit "Tight Up Skirt."
record
- Birth name
- Wallace Wilson
- Born
- January 17, 1978, Saint Ann's Bay, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Full biography
Wallace Wilson, known professionally as Red Rat, is a Jamaican dancehall recording and performing artist recognized for his up-beat, comical delivery and signature catchphrase "Oh, no!" His father was a guitarist with Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, and two of his older brothers were also professional musicians.
Red Rat's debut album, Oh, No... It's Red Rat (1997), included the songs "Shelly Ann," "Dwayne," "Cruise," and his signature hit "Tight-Up Skirt." Produced by Andrew Bradford for the Opera House label, "Tight Up Skirt" reached number one on Jamaican charts and became one of the most recognizable dancehall tracks of the late 1990s.
The song has retained lasting cultural reach: it was sampled by singer Samantha J in a 2013 track of the same name, referenced by Talib Kweli in "Outstanding" featuring Ryan Leslie (2012), and has been the subject of legal disputes, including a 2021 lawsuit alleging Chris Brown sampled the song without authorization.
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