Ini Kamoze — "Here Comes the Hotstepper"
The "na na na na naaa" that took over the world in 1994. Jamaican veteran Ini Kamoze's one perfect strike—a four-sample collage that hit #1 and never let go, even after he faded back.
Ini Kamoze (Cecil Campbell), born 1957 in Jamaica, was a dancehall veteran by the 1990s. He'd scored a debut single "World Affairs" in 1981 and released a self-titled album in 1984 produced by Sly and Robbie, but the scene had largely moved on without him. He recorded "Here Comes the Hotstepper" in early 1992; labels rejected it repeatedly until Columbia licensed it in 1993 for a reggae compilation called "Stir It Up" — which didn't reach shelves until 1994. Radio picked it up that year.
Producer Salaam Remi built it as a bold collage: the "na na na na na" chant from Cannibal and the Headhunters' version of "Land of 1000 Dances," drums and bass from Taana Gardner's 1981 disco classic "Heartbeat," plus flecks of Bobby Byrd's "Hot Pants" and "La Di Da Di." It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 17, 1994, and held it for two weeks—the year's out-of-nowhere chart-topper. A spot in Robert Altman's fashion-world film "Prêt-à-Porter" that December gave it another push. The victory triggered a bidding war and a seven-album Elektra deal, but nothing that followed came close. One hit, lightning-strike perfect, and every "murderer!" shout-along since owes it everything.
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