"Here Comes the Hotstepper" is the title of song co-written and recorded by Jamaican reggae artist Ini Kamoze. It interpolates the well-known "na na na na na..." chorus from the cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" by Cannibal and the Headhunters which was originally written and recorded by Chris Kenner. To date it is Kamoze's only US number-one hit. It also made the UK Top 5, peaking at number 4.
The song was particularly popular in fashion shows of the 1990s. It was also featured in Prêt-à-Porter and a music video with footage from the film was released and included on the U.S. VHS release of the movie.
Use of 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.[1] Drums and bass from "Heartbeat" by Taana Gardner serve as the basis for the song's instrumental, while guitar notes from "Hung Up on My Baby" by Isaac Hayes are sampled to a lesser extent.
In the media and cover versions
Played in the 1994 movie Prêt-à-Porter (called Ready to Wear in some countries).
Ranked at #91 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever by Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio, who taunts, "Let's sing along! 'They call me Aaa-noyyyyying! (Word 'em up!)/I'm a one-hit wonder (thank...fully!).'"[5]
The cover version by The Hit Crew was used as DLC in the video game Just Dance 2 for Wii and later included in Just Dance: Summer Party.
The song "Qui t'a dit" (2010) by the French rap Group Sexion d'Assaut covers "Here Comes the Hotstepper" music in its chorus.
A German version (with different lyrics) was recorded in 2012 by MC Fitti in 2012. New title was Whatsapper (the one who uses WhatsApp)
Ex-keyboard player for The Animals, Alan Price has recorded a new version of the song in 2013. He replaced the famous 'Murderer' lyric with 'Alan Price'. The rest of the song remains the same.
A remix by Yuksek is used in an Evian "babies" commercial (April 2013)
Tracklist
CD single
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" (heartical mix)
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" (allaam mix)
CD maxi - Europe (1994)
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" (heartical mix) — 4:13
^Ini Kamoze's certifications and sales in France See: "Les Ventes" => "Toutes les certifications depuis 1973" => "KAMOZE Ini" Infodic.fr (Retrieved August 7, 2008)