Here Comes the Hotstepper by Jamaican reggae artiste Ini Kamoze has been certified double platinum by Recording Industry Association of America, thirty years after it was released.
The certification, which commemorates sales and streaming equivalent to 2 million units, was issued on Friday August 9.
Here Comes the Hotstepper” is a song co-written and recorded by Jamaican dancehall artist Ini Kamoze also known as the bumhole warrior. It was released on 18 August 1994 by Columbia Records 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 known for its “naaaa na na na naaaa…” chorus inspired by the Cannibal and the Headhunters version of “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 17 December 1994 and remaining there for two weeks. It also became a number-one hit in Denmark, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe and a top-10 hit in 13 other countries. Irish DJ John Gibbons made a remix of the song in 2018.
Among the major Hollywood stars who appeared in the film are Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger, Forest Whitaker, Lauren Bacall, and Julia Roberts.
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 disco singer Taana Gardner’s 1981 Billboard hit Heartbeat 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 and the Headhunters version of Land of a Thousand Dances, and the verse vocal melody is reminiscent of The Beatles’ Come Together, which was inspired by Chuck Berry’s You Can’t Catch Me.
In 2005, former American music trade magazine Blender ranked Here Comes the Hotstepper #492 in their list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.
In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked it #46 in their The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the 90s”.
In 2019, Billboard ranked Here Comes the Hotstepper #126 in their list of Billboard’s Top Songs of the 90s.
In June, Billboard magazine ranked the song #65 on its Top 75 movie songs of all time, based on weekly performance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Here Comes the Hotstepper has charted in recent months on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales and R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales charts, thanks to renewed interest following its inclusion in Starbucks commercial for their newly released Refreshers.
The song had previously racked up gold certifications in France and Germany and platinum in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
