IN the 1990s, deejay Alley Cat was one of a cadre of artistes who emerged on the scene and had their fair share of success, but as the year progressed new acts have displaced their high-riding chart success.

These days Alley Cat prefers to be known as Immperial and is pushing his more mature, experienced, fully-developed side with the release of his latest album Dancehall Knowledge Volume 4. The 16-track project is produced primarily by the artiste himself and he described it as a positive blend of reggae and dancehall.

“It is all created by me as a project that is full of energy, vibes, new style and flow, new metaphors, not your everyday lyrics and themes. I hope that when people listen to the music on this album they will go into themselves and examine their life… just hol’ a meds. At the same time, it is not too deep that the average person can’t get the message. The project just reflects my maturity and the stage I am in life. Now I can make music that is more relatable, and not just to people in my age group but to the kids and families. It is a message that is wholesome and decent,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

He noted that he is still in the transition phase as it relates to his stage name. He said while he embraces Immperial, a lot of his hardcore fans are still stuck on Alley Cat. As a result, at this time, he is using Immperial Alley Cat during this transition.

However, he is reassuring his 90s dancehall fans that the Alley Cat they knew from those early years is still alive and present in Immperial.

“Of course, I can still take it back to that level. But the truth is I’m taking the music to another level. This album is volume four and the plan is to take this new sound and vibe to volume 10. I just want people to understand that I am not to be taken lightly. I am educated, mature and have much more life experiences so I am able to share new insights on life through music. When I look back on the music I did in the 90s I am still proud of the work. Now I listen to some of them and think ‘wow’ they are so futuristic. I have plans for some of these tracks, especially the ones that didn’t get the limelight back in the day. I’m thinking of remixing a lot of them,” he shared.

“It all comes down to the lyrics and how you bring it across. Take a song like Still a Give Thanks. I’m talking to the rude boys and jus’ a show them how much they need father God inna dem life. No matter how they think them tough, they still need protection and forgiveness. Back in the day I would still be talking to the rude bwoy dem, but the message would have been much different,” Immperial Alley Cat added.

The current global health crisis has taken a toll on everyone and life as they once knew it. The entertainment industry is no different. The pandemic has seen a shutdown of live performances and artistes are without that avenue to promote their new music.

With this in mind, many see releasing a new project at this time as being futile, but not this artiste.

“For me, this time and the pandemic does not mean we should put everything on pause. I am working on building a catalogue. I am not a singles artiste who has to depend on a one song. This is my fifth album and so it’s all about putting out the good music,” he said.

The album was released last weekend and is available on several digital music platforms including Apple Music, Amazon and Spotify. The album has some notable features. Recording artiste Chico and Nevaeh, Immperial Alley Cat’s daughter, feature in two tracks namely Need the Cheddar and Buzzworthy, respectively. Some tracks on the album are Champion and No Friend From Them, Money Overload, and Annointed.