Home > Ini Kamoze

Described as a "pencil thin....disentangled....six-foot vegetarian." at the outset of his career, Kamoze's initial releases had moderate success in Jamaica - enough success to land him on tours with such luminaries as Yellowman and Half Pint . By 1988, however, Kamoze had effectively disappeared from the music scene following lukewarm reactions to his intermittent releases.

In 1994, Kamoze burst back onto the scene with a harder sound and the song which would become his signature - "Here Comes The Hotstepper". Adopting his 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 infectious song found its way onto several soundtracks, including the fashion-industry satire, "Pret A Porter". The resulting video featured a much more solid Kamoze and the obligatory scantily-clad women for this genre of music. "Hotstepper" still remains one of Dancehall Reggae 's more well-known hits, with its call-and-response chorus of "Here come de hotstepper - MURDERER - I'm de lyrical gangsta - MURDERER" lighting up clubs worldwide. "Here Comes The Hotstepper" remains Kamoze's only US #1 hit (see Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1994).

Kamoze's career after this high-water mark features the album "Lyrical Gangsta" which, while it does not match the heights of "Shocking Out" (the comeback album), is nonetheless a solid listen.