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".
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 and New Zealand 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".

Impact and legacy

Blender listed the song at number 492 in their ranking of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born in 2005.
BuzzFeed listed it at number 46 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s in 2017.

Track listing

CD single
  1. "Here Comes the Hotstepper"
  2. "Here Comes the Hotstepper"
CD maxi – Europe
  1. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" – 4:13
  2. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" – 4:15
  3. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" – 4:13
  4. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" – 4:36
  5. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" – 4:37
  6. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" – 4:09

    Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australia 22
Austria 26
Belgium 38
Belgium 7
Canada Dance/Urban 22
Europe 15
France 9
Germany 29
New Zealand 8
Sweden 32
Switzerland 18
UK Singles 24
US Billboard Hot 10024

Decade-end charts

Certifications