Here Comes the Hotstepper

"Here Comes the Hotstepper" is a song co-written and recorded by Jamaican dancehall artist Ini Kamoze. It was released as the lead single from his 1995 album Here Comes the Hotstepper as well as the soundtrack to the film Prêt-à-Porter. It is best known for its "na na na na na..." chorus sampled from the Wilson Pickett song "Land of 1000 Dances".

"Here Comes the Hotstepper"
Standard artwork
Single by Ini Kamoze
from the album Here Comes the Hotstepper
ReleasedAugust 18, 1994
Genre
Length4:13
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Salaam Remi
Ini Kamoze singles chronology
"Hill and Gully Ride"
(1992)		 "Here Comes the Hotstepper"
(1994)		 "Listen Me Tic (Woyoi)"
(1995)

The song was Kamoze's only song to reach the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking atop the chart on December 17, 1994, and remaining there for two weeks. It also became a number-one hit in Denmark, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe and a top-ten hit in thirteen other countries. John Gibbons made a remix of the song in 2018.

Usages of music sampling

"Here Comes the Hotstepper" contains several samples, including vocals from "The Champ" by The Mohawks, "Hot Pants" by Bobby Byrd, and "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. The song's instrumental samples the drums and bass from "Heartbeat" by Taana Gardner and guitar notes from "Hung Up on My Baby" by Isaac Hayes. The song uses the "na na na na na..." chorus from the Cannibal & the Headhunters cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances," and the verse vocal melody is reminiscent of The Beatles' "Come Together".

Chart performance

"Here Comes the Hotstepper" remains Kamoze's biggest hit to date. It went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian RPM Dance chart.[1][2] In Europe, it peaked at number one in Denmark as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100.[3][4] The single climbed into the top 10 in Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[5][6][7][8][9] In the latter nation, it peaked at number four during its third week on the UK Singles Chart, on January 15, 1995, and spent four weeks at that position, topping the UK R&B Chart in the process.[10][11] Elsewhere, "Here Comes the Hotstepper" topped the charts in New Zealand and Zimbabwe and peaked at number two in Australia.[5][12] The single was awarded with a gold record in France and Germany and a platinum record in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic noted that the song "lifts a line from "Land of 1000 Dances" and places it on an infectious dancehall beat -- it's a great single that deserved to be a huge hit."[19] Steve Pick from St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "Kamoze has been a journeyman reggae dancehall singer for a number of years. With this cut, he's distilled most of the stylistic variants of his competitors, sweetened them with some goof hooks and come up with a breakthrough pop record that threatens to keep folks dancing for the next several years. I'm not sure what's "Heartical" about this version, but this is the mix you want."[20]

Music video

A music video was made to accompany the song which used various scenes from the film Prêt-à-Porter. It was uploaded to YouTube in May 2014. By September 2020, the video had more than 5,3 million views.[21]

Impact and legacy

Blender listed the song at number 492 in their ranking of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born in 2005.[22]

BuzzFeed listed it at number 46 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s in 2017.[23]

Track listing

CD single

  1. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (heartical mix)
  2. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (allaam mix)

CD maxi – Europe (1994)

  1. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (heartical mix) – 4:13
  2. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (heartipella) – 4:15
  3. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (heartimental) – 4:13
  4. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (allaam mix) – 4:36
  5. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (allamental) – 4:37
  6. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (LP version) – 4:09

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Ini Kamoze Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  2. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2711." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  3. Billboard 25 March 1995. Billboard. 1995-03-25. Retrieved December 1, 2010. hits of the world.
  4. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (March 18, 1995). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
  5. "Australian-charts.com – Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  6. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (March 4, 1995). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
  7. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (15.–21.12 '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). December 15, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Here Comes the Hotstepper". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
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  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  11. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
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  15. "1995 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
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  17. "British single certifications – Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper". British Phonographic Industry.
  18. "American single certifications – Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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  20. Pick, Steve (January 6, 1995). "Steve Pick". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
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