Super Cat, aka William Maraugh, is holding court in the artist's lounge of Philadlphia's Club Vegas. Unlit spliff in one hand, his (fifth) Hienekin in the other, Cat half-listens to his assorted roadies and hangers-on try to top each other with stories of crime and drama. People tend to feel a need to be tough around the diminutive don.

Half Pint, even shorter than Cat, enters the room, and for the first time all night, the "Old Veteran" becomes truly animated. The hangers on look quizzically at each other, not quite sure who the midget rasta is. Cat convinces a reluctant ("I don't have no work papers") Half Pint to join him on stage later. The subsequent, raggafied version of "Greetings I Bring From Jah" is easily the highlight of the show.

The Vegas audience is a mixed crowd. Some people want to hear the classics: "Vineard Style," "Boops" "Under Pressure," "Don Dadda" and the like. The rest only know his recent major label hits "Ghetto Red Hot," "Girlstown" and the "Dolly my Baby" remix. The disparatity among fans is obvious as they take turns being restless while they wait for Cat to sing "their" songs.

Ever the showman, a slightly intoxicated Super Cat rips through an abbreviated set ("Clubs close at 2'o clock in Philly?") and manages to avoid the rabid groupies who rush him as he leaves the stage. Everyone is happy.

Reggaematic: You happy with the show? how you think the show turn out and everything? [Concert at Philadelphia Club, "Club Vegas"]

SuperCat: Well, I don't even worry, you know, cause is years me a go through and work the circuit an me never really see it less, You know? So me nuh really have no complaint.

RM: Congratulations on the new album [The Struggle Continues]. How is that doing?

SC: You see fe me right now, me can say it too early to say. It recently release, you know, just a couple months ago.

RM: What about "Girlstown?" You pleased with the response to "Girlstown?"

SC: (sigh) Well, basically, its just a commercial reggae tune, you understand? Is not like it's reggae in its purest form. It's a major label type of work, an it's that them [the labels] a deal with, you understand? that's what dem a push. So you just haffi give dem what dem a push. But really and truly it's the grassroots we a come from and we have to maintain that still but you have to elevate yourself when you come to the majors, because, you know, major ah major and minor ah minor, you know what I mean? Until people understand that they won't understand why some ah we do what we do.

RM: What's been the response to the album back in yard [Jamaica]?

SC: The album nuh release a yard, you know.

RM: It wasn't released in Jamaica?

SC: No. Because due to the business, you know, the album could never release a Yard yet because everything from yard come back to foreign via import, so when you release your thing, it come in like is Yard last get it, you know. Because is major [label] you a deal with, you understand? So the major put out dem thing first inna dem territory, so Yard end up getting it last. Because due to how the business run, if it end up a Yard, then everything come back on import and then a certain amount of sales is not calculated. Because the wholesalers out of Yard don't use Soundscan.

RM: How many albums have you recorded now, from back in Yard till this time?

SC: Ah, um, say about four albums or so. Four or five solo album.

RM: How long you been in the business now? 'cause I remember Cat from way way back, you know?

SC: Me ah DJ from me a youth, from me about 8 years old, 7 year old, me a practice but in 1982, '83 me become a recording artist. But it was a period of years before that me inna the dancehall with various sound systems.

RM: How did you get your start, juggling on 'Jaro [local sound system Killimanjaro] and things like that?

SC: It was long before 'Jaro, you know me bredrin, cause me did a DJ pon some little sound all about in the ghetto. Watchin nuff elders doing their work an thing, and i was inspired by them. Them time, 'Jaro don't even exist yet, you know? It was sound like Pappa Roots, Virgo, Soul to Soul and dem sound. From there then it progressed to a 'Jaro thing. That was when I an I kinda get more mature and step up in a bigger dancehall level.

RM: And how did you make that step, from 'Jaro to where you are today? Foreign, major labels and so on.

SC: Well, it was like a scholarship inna dem time there, you know. As soon as you become a recognized DJ amongst the dancehall people and you start recording, then there is promoter in Foreign who always want to send for the artists to do things. So that is how our thing come about. Me and Early B and Burro Banton and Junior Reid and Half Pint them and the whole of them youth start move out of the dancehall to the entertainment world.

RM: You are a DJ who has lasted longer in the business, as a star, than most other DJs. What do you attribute your longevity to?

SC: Boy, is only Jah do that, you know. Jah do that me bredrin, cause no guy can do that for you. Is just Jah works. That's all me can say, me bredrin, it's just Jah works.

RM: I was talking to some people at the dance and they were saying that Cat probably has had the most influence on other DJs. From their choice of name, to their lyrical style, you can see the Super Cat influence. Why do you think you have influenced so many other DJs?

SC: Star, is a ladder, me bredrin. Because when I was coming up, I man was inspired by even greater DJ than myself. Like Daddy U Roy, Trinity, Clint Eastwood, Rankin Trevor, Nicodemus, Lone Ranger, you understand? Then it all comes down to Lee Van Cleef, Louie Lekin, cause the whole a we ah come out of one era, you know?

RM: You mentioned U Roy. And you have U Roy on the new album, on "A Class Rub-A-Dub" so why...

SC: Well U Roy. Well all ah we come from where Daddy Roy live, you know. Josey Wales is living in Kingston 11, you know. So is Super Cat, so is Bounty Killa, so is Beenie Man, so is Admiral Baily, so is Early B, so is many many more who come from that era there, you understand. Daddy Roy and Clint Eastwood, Dem man was the founder in the corporate metropolitan Kingston area in that time. So all the little youths who ah go to school, who love music and respond to musical vibes, was inspired by these people. Them time you have famous sound system like King Atatni, King Tubby's... Daddy Roy and them DJ there and even King Stitch, all of them. Cause when we were little youths coming up, you know, when we ah dance the music and we know the DJ them by name! Them time they were like film stars!

RM: You mentioned Bounty [Killa] a little while ago. A lot of people say that Cat and Bounty have some sort of friction. What's the position on that?

SC: No, me bredrin. Me and no man nah have no friction, me bredrin. A man must have friction with himself, me Idrin.

RM: Well why is it that any time there is some sort of dancehall rumor, Cat name is always in it?

SC: (chuckles) Me nuh know, you know godfather, I'm telling you the truth. I could never give you an answer for that. I is a man who don't promote fuckery ah rassclaat. I an I don't involve in fuckery. I don't involve in no negative vibes. Most people just go around and talk fuckery. I don't associate with that. cause if I an I did ah go around and promote fuckery, I an I couldn't be here dealing with people and dealing with business. People just tend to spread propaganda because a lot of people tend to spread what they hear, and what they hear they add more things to it. That's how propaganda builds up, me bredrin. One man hear something and a next man add something to it.

RM: Reggae in America is different from reggae in Jamaica. How do you feel about the trend in America toward a more hip-hop sounding reggae beat?

SC: Depends on what you are talking about, you know. Because the majors deal with remixes, but the underground is still there and will never move, you know? So the music never really changes except when you go to the majors. And all artists who have been major artists over the years know that reggae is never marketed in its purest form when you go to the majors. So they should never ever be surprised about that. Only the people who maybe don't want to see you elevate yourself in this business will maybe say this and say that, but for them, they know that the business is even worse, star. Worse than dealing with the majors.

RM: So that just comes with the territory?

SC: Yeah. It comes with the territory, me bredrin.

RM: I noticed that on the album you big up man like [longtime rival] Ninja Man and...

SC: No, No. Is not just Ninja Man alone. If you read the album notes, it will show you that it's many many people...

RM: Well I read that, still but...

SC: OK then. It's not one man I was sending respect to. It's a whole line of people. Those are people that I have been around through the music over the years, thick and thin. Bredrin and Idrin and all different kinds of people. Musician, sound system and radio station people. Supporters, all different kinds of people.

RM: The album has tremendously diverse subject matter, which has always been a trademark of yours. You have "gal tunes," dance tune, reality, culture... Is that something you plan for when you record an album?

SC: No. Me ah record album from morning, you know. If you pick up 10 Super Cat album you will hear the difference. But those songs were made a while ago.

RM: You have a song on the album called "South Central." I don't think I've ever heard a reggae song based on California before. What inspired that?

SC: Just ghetto, you know. People. Crips and Bloods and Chicanos. I come from the ghetto but I an I get an opportunity to see more things reveal to them than other people who live in their suburban neighborhood.

RM: What's the next single after "Girlstown?"

SC: The little rock and roll tune, "Josephine."

RM: You had that on a soundtrack...

SC: Yeah. It was on some soundtrack up in Europe...

RM: Did that version have [Jack] Radicks on it?

SC: Yeah, man. It had Radicks pon it.

RM: How long ago you recorded it?

SC: About a year, year and a half now.

RM: Where do you see yourself, Super Cat, in another 10 years? And where do you see reggae music in 10 years?

SC: In 10 years time I would never try to tell you what will happen me bredrin. cause the future is not I and I to tell. I am not a fortune teller. But if Jah give I and I life I know what is to be must be, you know?

RM: You produced almost all the tracks on this album, and the Wild Apache logo is on the sleeve. How involved are you today, as opposed to before with the business side of...

SC: Well me always involved in the business side of the music. Super Cat is man who sing on his own label now, so that makes me more involved in my dealings. Whenever I am involved in a project you will see the major logo and Super Cat logo because is me and them doing business. So I have to be the executive producer on a certain amount of tunes by hiring other producers and even including myself too to get the project done.

RM: Dancehall has recently swung back... you mentioned it on "Ready Back," saying "culture come back," -- and you mentioned it as opposed to slackness -- but you never dealt with culture as opposed to gun talk, and there has been a backlash against...

SC: Well everything that is fuckery is slackness. Whether gun or whether the practical slackness within sexuality or whatsoever. If a man is keeping up fuckery he is keeping up slackness. If a man is going around shooting people it's still slackness. So when I say slackness I deal on a generic base, across the board. Whether a man is smoking crack or a man is going around shooting people, robbing people innocently; or a man is talking x-rated lyrics... Anything is slackness if it's fuckery, me bredrin.

RM: You have a song, "Too Greedy," about the problems with crack, but a lot of people seem to ignore everyone's warnings about it. What would you like to say to people who are listening to that tune and not hearing the message?

SC: Nothing more. That is what that tune is for, you understand? If a guy can't hear that then I and I can't tell them nothing more. I and I can just sing words and give people an idea. If that can't be a guiding line then there is nothing more we can do. We aren't going to hold people by them hand and them foot, you understand?