Ini Kamoze ( , born Cecil Campbell; 9 October 1957) is a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

artist who began his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in 1994 with the

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

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 of the same name as well as the soundtrack to the film ''Prêt-à-Porter''. It is kno ...

". The single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as well as record charts in Denmark and New Zealand, reaching number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

.Ini Kamoze
, Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 December 2012

Career

He made his first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "World Affairs", in 1981. Kamoze then released a 12-inch single "Trouble You A Trouble Me"/"General" in 1983. His self-titled debut album was released in 1984 as a six track

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. In the album notes he describes himself as a "pencil thin... disentangled... six-foot vegetarian". The album included the song "World a Music (Out in the Streets They Call It Merther)", which was to be

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

Damian Marley Damian Robert Nesta "Jr. Gong" Marley (born 21 July 1978) is a Jamaican DJ, singer, lyricist and rapper. He is the recipient of four Grammy Awards. Early life, education and family Damian Marley is the youngest son of reggae musician Bob Marle ...

on his 2005

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

Welcome to Jamrock ''Welcome to Jamrock'' is the third studio album by Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. The album was released on September 12, 2005, in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States. Marley won two 2006 Gram ...

". The album was recorded with and produced by

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...

, with whom he also toured internationally along with

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

and

Half Pint Half Pint (born 11 November 1961), and sometimes credited Lindon Andrew Roberts,Josephs, Karla (2012)Big deal for Half Pint", ''Jamaica Observer'', 7 June 2012, retrieved 8 June 2012 is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. Biograph ...

.Broughton, Simon et al (2000) ''World Music: The Rough Guide (Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific)'', Rough Guides, , p. 454Vare, Ethlie Ann (1986)
The Taxi Gang, Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare, Ini Kamoze, Yellowman, Half Pint, Universal Amphitheatre
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', 15 November 1986, p. 29. Retrieved 23 December 2012Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , pp. 146-7 By 1988, however, Kamoze had effectively disappeared from the music scene following lukewarm reactions to his intermittent releases. Kamoze founded his own label, releasing a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''Selekta Showcase'' which featured a popular Kamoze single titled "Stress". Four years later he released his next album, ''16 Vibes of Ini Kamoze''. In 1994, Kamoze released the song which would become his signature, "

". Adopting another nickname from the song title, Kamoze would become known as the "Hotstepper", from the

patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or ...

for a man on the run from the law. The song was originally recorded with

Philip "Fatis" Burrell Philip "Fatis" Burrell (23 July 1954 – 3 December 2011)Katz, David (2011)Philip 'Fatis' Burrell obituary, ''The Guardian'', 6 December 2011, retrieved 2011-12-06 was a Jamaican record producer, who ran the Xterminator record label. He was one o ...

and later remixed by

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

, and initially featured on a reggae music compilation ''Stir It Up'', released on the Epic label.Kenner, Rob (1995)
Next: Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper
, ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'', February 1995. Retrieved 23 December 2012 "Here Comes the Hotstepper" was not an entirely new composition, having roots in the song "

Land of 1000 Dances "Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A ver ...

", which was a number one R&B hit for

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

in 1966 and was first recorded by Chris Kenner in 1962 and reprised in 1963 by

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

. The remixed version of the track also incorporates the bass line from

Taana Gardner Taana Gardner (born September 3, 1960) is an American disco and post-disco singer who found her success through West End Records since 1979. She is also a former member of the Aural Exciters. Early life Born in Newark, New Jersey (where sh ...

's 1981 single "Heartbeat".Aaron, Charles (1995)
Singles: Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper
, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', February 1995, p. 80. Retrieved 23 December 2012 The song appeared on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

to the fashion-industry

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

Prêt-à-Porter Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure Made-to-measure ( ...

''. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" remains Kamoze's only US

number one Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

hit (see Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1994). The success of the single sparked an intense bidding war with several major labels hoping to sign him.Atwood, Brett (1994)
Labels Stepping Over Each Other in Race for Kamoze
, ''

'', 12 November 1994, p. 10, 109. Retrieved 23 December 2012Atwood, Brett (1995)
Kamoze Competes Against Himself
, ''

'', 4 March 1995, p. 8, 96. Retrieved 23 December 2012 Kamoze signed a seven-album deal with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

in November 1994.Lichtman, Irv (1994)
Kamoze Signs Elektra Deal
, ''

'', 26 November 1994, p. 136. Retrieved 23 December 2012 Kamoze's career after this high-water mark featured the compilation album ''Here Comes the Hotstepper'' which was released in 1995 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

(against Kamoze's wishes), around the same time as his first album for Elektra, '' Lyrical Gangsta''.Sony Baloney
, ''

'', June–July 1995, p. 32. Retrieved 23 December 2012 Both the

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

(known as "World Jam") and the hook of

's 2005 hit "

" were sampled from Kamoze's 1984 track "World-A-Music". The opening line – "Out in the streets, they call it merther" – has been sampled in countless

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

and

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...

tracks. His dub version of "Here Comes the Hotstepper", otherwise known as "I'm Steppin' it Hotter This Year", released in 1993, remains a dancehall anthem. In 2005, Kamoze recorded and released a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

, ''Debut'', on which he re-recorded a number of tracks from earlier in his career.Kwaaku (2006)
Hotstepper Returns
, ''

'', 1 April 2006, p. 41. Retrieved 23 December 2012 ''Debut'' was released on his own 9 Sound Clik label. In 2009, Kamoze released ''51 50 Rule'' on 9SoundClik. The album includes tracks such as "Rapunzel" (feat.

Maya Azucena Maya Azucena is an American singer-songwriter and cultural ambassador from Brooklyn, New York City. She attended the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts. She independently released her debut album ''Maya Who?!'' at performance shows and o ...

) and "Hungry Daze". The album also had some guest features from

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

("R.A.W"), and

Busy Signal Reanno Devon Gordon (born 24 January 1979), better known by his stage name Busy Signal, is a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Biography Reanno Devon Gordon p/k/a Busy Signal was born in Saint Ann Parish,Johnson, Carolyn (2006)A Very Busy Chi ...

("Ta Da Bang"). This was his second album released on the 9 Sound Clik label.Cooke, Mel (2007)
Ini Kamoze defines 'My Girl'
", ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 20 July 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2012Cooke, Mel (2009)
CD review - Snipping would make Ini Kamoze's '51 50 Rule' even better
", ''

'', 25 September 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2012 The artist's most recent album release is 2016's ''Ini Kamoze Meets Xterminator: Tramplin' Down Babylon'' on his label, 9SoundClik. This is a collection of newly recorded and previously recorded tracks that were originally released as singles on Xterminator Records by producer Phillip "Fattis" Burrell. Kamoze has also written a book on the history of

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and co ...

, and a play, ''Runnings''. His name means "mountain of the true God".

Discography

Albums

;Studio albums *''Ini Kamoze'' (1984),

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

*''Statement'' (1984),

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

*''Pirate'' (1986), Mango *''Shocking Out'' (1988),

RAS Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

*'' Lyrical Gangsta'' (1995), East West America/ Elektra *''Debut'' (2006), 9SoundClik *''51 50 Rule'' (2009), 9SoundClik *''Ini Kamoze meets Xterminator: Tramplin' Down Babylon'' (2016), 9SoundClik ;Compilation albums *''16 Vibes of Ini Kamoze'' (1992), Sonic Sounds *''

'' (1995), Columbia/ SMDE

Singles

References

External links