Ini Kamoze
Encyclopedia
Cecil Campbell better known by his stage name Ini Kamoze (icon) is a Jamaican reggae
singer
. He is best known for his signature song
, "Here Comes the Hotstepper
", which was released in 1994, and subsequently topped the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
chart
. It also reached number one in Australia
and New Zealand
, and number four in the UK Singles Chart
.
, "World Affairs," in 1981. Kamoze released a 12-inch single "Trouble You A Trouble Me / General", released under the name Inai Kamosa.
His self-titled debut album was released in 1984 as a six track mini-LP
on Island Records
. In the album notes he describes himself as a "pencil thin... disentangled... six-foot vegetarian". The album includes the song "World a Reggae (Out In The Street They Call It Merther)" which was to be sample
d by Damian Marley
on his 2005 hit, "Welcome to Jamrock". The album was recorded with and produced by Sly and Robbie
, with whom he also toured internationally along with Yellowman
and Half Pint. 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
Selekta Showcase which featured a popular Kamoze single titled "Stress". Four years later he released his next album, 16 Vibes of Ini Kamoze, which sold well.
In 1994, Kamoze released the song which would become his signature, "Here Comes the Hotstepper
". Adopting another nickname from the song title, Kamoze would become known as the "Hotstepper", from the patois for a man on the run from the law. The song was recorded with Philip "Fatis" Burrell and initially featured on a reggae music compilation Stir It Up, produced on the Epic
label. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" was not an entirely new composition, having roots in the song "Land of 1000 Dances", which was a #1 R&B hit for Wilson Pickett
in 1966 and was first recorded by Chris Kenner
in 1962 and reprised in 1963 by Fats Domino
. The song appeared on the soundtrack
to the fashion-industry satire
feature film
Prêt-à-Porter
. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" remains Kamoze's only US
number one hit (see Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1994).
Kamoze's career after this high-water mark featured the album Here Comes the Hotstepper which was released in 1995, and featured the production work of Salaam Remi
.
Both the riddim
(known as "World Jam") and the hook of Damian Marley
's 2005 hit, "Welcome to Jamrock" were sampled
from Kamoze's 1984 track "World-A-Music", giving Kamoze co-writing credits. The opening lyrics — "Out in the streets, they call it merther" — has been sampled in countless drum and bass
and dubstep
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 2006, Kamoze recorded and released a double album
, Debut, on which he re-recorded a number of his tracks. Debut was released on the 9 Sound Clik label, with which he was closely associated.
The artist's most recent album release is 2009's 51 50 Rule, an all-new studio release. The CD had tracks such as "Rapunzel" (feat. Maya Azucena
) and "Hungry Daze." The album also had some guest features from Sizzla
("R.A.W"), and Busy Signal
("Ta Da Bang"). This was his second album released on the 9 Sound Clik label.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. He is best known for his signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, "Here Comes the Hotstepper
Here Comes the Hotstepper
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" is a dancehall song by musician Ini Kamoze, co-written with Richard Winsland and recorded in 1994. It extrapolates the well-known "na na na na na..." chorus from the song "Land of a Thousand Dances" by Chris Kenner, later covered by Wilson Pickett. To date it is Kamoze's...
", which was released in 1994, and subsequently topped the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. It also reached number one in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and number four in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Career
He made his first singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "World Affairs," in 1981. Kamoze released a 12-inch single "Trouble You A Trouble Me / General", released under the name Inai Kamosa.
His self-titled debut album was released in 1984 as a six track mini-LP
Mini-LP
A Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. In the album notes he describes himself as a "pencil thin... disentangled... six-foot vegetarian". The album includes the song "World a Reggae (Out In The Street They Call It Merther)" which was to be sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
d by Damian Marley
Damian Marley
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is a Jamaican reggae artist who has won three Grammy awards. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley....
on his 2005 hit, "Welcome to Jamrock". The album was recorded with and produced by Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
, with whom he also toured internationally along with Yellowman
Yellowman
Yellowman is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, widely known as King Yellowman...
and Half Pint. 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
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Selekta Showcase which featured a popular Kamoze single titled "Stress". Four years later he released his next album, 16 Vibes of Ini Kamoze, which sold well.
In 1994, Kamoze released the song which would become his signature, "Here Comes the Hotstepper
Here Comes the Hotstepper
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" is a dancehall song by musician Ini Kamoze, co-written with Richard Winsland and recorded in 1994. It extrapolates the well-known "na na na na na..." chorus from the song "Land of a Thousand Dances" by Chris Kenner, later covered by Wilson Pickett. To date it is Kamoze's...
". Adopting another nickname from the song title, Kamoze would become known as the "Hotstepper", from the patois for a man on the run from the law. The song was recorded with Philip "Fatis" Burrell and initially featured on a reggae music compilation Stir It Up, produced on the Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
label. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" was not an entirely new composition, having roots in the song "Land of 1000 Dances", which was a #1 R&B hit for Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
in 1966 and was first recorded by Chris Kenner
Chris Kenner
Chris Kenner was a New Orleans R&B singer and songwriter, best known for two hit singles in the early 1960s, that became staples in the repertoires of many other musicians.-Biography:...
in 1962 and reprised in 1963 by Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
. The song appeared on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the fashion-industry satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Prêt-à-Porter
Prêt-à-Porter (film)
Prêt-à-Porter is a 1994 American satirical black comedy film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers...
. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" remains Kamoze's only US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
number one hit (see Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1994).
Kamoze's career after this high-water mark featured the album Here Comes the Hotstepper which was released in 1995, and featured the production work of Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
.
Both the riddim
Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
(known as "World Jam") and the hook of Damian Marley
Damian Marley
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is a Jamaican reggae artist who has won three Grammy awards. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley....
's 2005 hit, "Welcome to Jamrock" were sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from Kamoze's 1984 track "World-A-Music", giving Kamoze co-writing credits. The opening lyrics — "Out in the streets, they call it merther" — has been sampled in countless drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
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 2006, Kamoze recorded and released a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, Debut, on which he re-recorded a number of his tracks. Debut was released on the 9 Sound Clik label, with which he was closely associated.
The artist's most recent album release is 2009's 51 50 Rule, an all-new studio release. The CD had tracks such as "Rapunzel" (feat. Maya Azucena
Maya Azucena
Maya Azucena is an American singer-songwriter and cultural ambassador from Brooklyn, NY. She attended the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts. She independently released her debut CD "Maya Who?!" at shows and from her website.-Solo Work:...
) and "Hungry Daze." The album also had some guest features from Sizzla
Sizzla
Sizzla Kalonji, or simply Sizzla in are de reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is well-known for his above-average prolificacy...
("R.A.W"), and Busy Signal
Busy signal
A busy signal in telephony is an audible or visual signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection of that particular telephone call....
("Ta Da Bang"). This was his second album released on the 9 Sound Clik label.
Album discography
- Pirate (1984) - Mango Records
- Statement (1984) - Mango Records
- Ini Kamoze (1984) - Island RecordsIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
- Shocking Out (1988) - RAS RecordsRAS RecordsRAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label.-History:RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid 1980s RAS had signed artists such as Black Uhuru, Inner...
- 16 Vibes of Ini Kamoze (1992) - Sonic Sounds
- Here Comes the Hotstepper (1995) - ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
/SME RecordsSony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... - Lyrical Gangsta (1995) - East West AmericaEast West RecordsEast West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...
/Elektra RecordsElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... - Shocking Hours (1995) - Greensleeves RecordsGreensleeves RecordsGreensleeves Records & Publishing is a record label specialising in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain....
- Debut (2006) - 9 Sound Clik
- 51 50 Rule (2009) - 9 Sound Clik
See also
- Music of JamaicaMusic of JamaicaThe music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles. Jamaica's music culture is a fusion of elements from the United States , Africa, and neighboring Caribbean islands such as...
- List of Jamaicans
- List of reggae musicians
- List of roots reggae artists
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of 1990s one-hit wonders in the United States
External links
- Ini Kamoze website
- Ini Kamoze MySpace
- [ Biography at Allmusic.com]