Here Comes the Hotstepper

“Here Comes the Hotstepper” is a dancehall classic from Jamaican dancehall artist Ini Kamoze. Released in 1995 as the third track off of the same titled album, “Here Comes the Hotstepper” is the track that launched launched Kamoze’s one-hit wonder career.

Arguably the most iconic section of the track is the “na na na” lines which are from American singer and songwriter Wilson Pickett’s track: “Land of 1000 Dances”. “Here Comes the Hotstepper” samples other tracks too, from a track titled “The Champ” from British band The Mohawks, “Hot Pants” from R&B/soul artist Bobby Byrd, as well as sampling “La Di Da Di” from rappers Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. The track was also used by the professional wrestling tag team “Public Enemy” as their entrance music in the ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling).

The official music video can be found on Ini Kamoze’s YouTube channel: IniKamozeVEVO”. The video was uploaded on the 3rd August 2017. The music video features Kamoze himself singing the track in various different places, from public transport to a treehouse style apartment, as well as featuring women dancing to the track and kids singing along to the track. As of August 2019, the video has over 25 million views.

Release Date: 18th August 1995

Songwriter/s: Ini Kamoze, Chris Kenner, Kenton Nix & Salaam Remi

Producer/s: Salaam Remi

Label/s: Columbia

Chart Rankings & Certifications: “Here Comes the Hotstepper” charted #1 in many countries in its year of release: Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, the UK and the US. The track also charted in Spain, Germany, Switzerland, France, Australia and many more. The track received Gold certification in the UK, Germany and France, while receiving Platinum certification in Australia, New Zealand and the US.