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Ini Kamoze

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Ini Kamoze
Ini Kamoze in 1998
Ini Kamoze in 1998
Background information
Birth nameCecil Campbell
Born (1957-10-09) 9 October 1957 (age 67)
Saint Mary, Jamaica
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Years active1981–present
Labels
Websitewww.inikamoze.com

Ini Kamoze (/ˈaɪni kəˈmoʊzi/ EYE-nee kə-MOH-zee, born Cecil Campbell; 9 October 1957) is a Jamaican reggae artist who began his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in 1994 with the signature song "Here Comes the Hotstepper". The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as record charts in Denmark and New Zealand, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart.[1][2]

Career

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He made his first single, "World Affairs", in 1981. Kamoze then released a 12-inch single "Trouble You A Trouble Me"/"General" in 1983.

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".[3] The album included the song "World a Music (Out in the Streets They Call It Merther)",[4] which was to be sampled by Damian Marley on his 2005 hit "Welcome to Jamrock".[5][6] The album was recorded with and produced by Sly and Robbie, with whom he also toured internationally along with Yellowman and Half Pint.[3][7][8][9] By 1988, however, Kamoze had effectively disappeared from the music scene following lukewarm reactions to his intermittent releases.[3]

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.

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 originally recorded with Philip "Fatis" Burrell and later remixed by Salaam Remi, and initially featured on a reggae music compilation Stir It Up, released on the Epic label.[10] "Here Comes the Hotstepper" was not an entirely new composition, having roots in the song "Land of 1000 Dances", which was a number one R&B hit for Wilson Pickett in 1966 and was first recorded by Chris Kenner in 1962 and reprised in 1963 by Fats Domino.[10] The remixed version of the track also incorporates the bass line from Taana Gardner's 1981 single "Heartbeat".[11] The song appeared on the soundtrack to the fashion-industry satire feature film Prêt-à-Porter.[3][9] "Here Comes the Hotstepper" remains Kamoze's only US number one hit (see Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1994).[3]

The success of the single sparked an intense bidding war with several major labels hoping to sign him.[12][13] Kamoze signed a seven-album deal with Elektra Records in November 1994.[14]

Kamoze's career after this high-water mark featured the compilation album Here Comes the Hotstepper which was released in 1995 by Columbia Records (against Kamoze's wishes), around the same time as his first album for Elektra, Lyrical Gangsta.[13][15]

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".[5] The opening line – "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.[citation needed]

In 2005, Kamoze recorded and released a double album, Debut, on which he re-recorded a number of tracks from earlier in his career.[16] Debut was released on his own 9 Sound Clik label.[6][16]

In 2009, Kamoze released 51 50 Rule on 9SoundClik. The album includes 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.[17][18]

The artist's most recent album release is 2016's Ini Kamoze Meets Xterminator: Tramplin' Down Babylon on his label, 9SoundClik. This is a collection of newly recorded and previously recorded tracks that were originally released as singles on Xterminator Records by producer Phillip "Fattis" Burrell.

Kamoze has also written a book on the history of Port Royal, and a play, Runnings.[12]

His name means "mountain of the true God".[12]

Discography

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Albums

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Studio albums

Compilation albums

  • 16 Vibes of Ini Kamoze (1992), Sonic Sounds

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak positions Certifications Album
AUS
[20] 		AUT
[20] 		BEL
(FL)
[20] 		FRA
[20] 		NED
[20] 		NZ
[20] 		SWE
[20] 		SWI
[20] 		UK
[21] 		US
[22]
"World Affairs" 1981 — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Trouble You a Trouble Me" 1983 — — — — — — — — — — Ini Kamoze
"World a Music" — — — — — — — — — —
"Call the Police" 1985 — — — — — — — — — — Statement
"Pirate" 1986 — — — — — — — — — — Pirate
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" 1994 2 6 3 2 16 1 5 4 4 1 Here Comes the Hotstepper
"Listen Me Tic (Woyoi)" 1995 — — — — — — — — — 88 Lyrical Gangsta

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 296. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "Ini Kamoze", Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  3. ^ a b c d e Brennan, Sandra. "Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  4. ^ "when ini Kamoze first sang the song, the word was 'merther'" - Kenner (2006)
  5. ^ a b Jeffries, David (13 September 2005). "Welcome to Jamrock - Damian "Junior Gong" Marley : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  6. ^ a b Kenner, Rob (January 2006). "Boomshots". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. p. 137.
  7. ^ Broughton, Simon et al (2000) World Music: The Rough Guide (Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific), Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1858286365, p. 454
  8. ^ Vare, Ethlie Ann (1986) "The Taxi Gang, Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare, Ini Kamoze, Yellowman, Half Pint, Universal Amphitheatre", Billboard, 15 November 1986, p. 29. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  9. ^ a b Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 978-0313331589, pp. 146-7
  10. ^ a b Kenner, Rob (1995) "Next: Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper", Vibe, February 1995. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  11. ^ Aaron, Charles (1995) "Singles: Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper", Spin, February 1995, p. 80. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  12. ^ a b c Atwood, Brett (1994) "Labels Stepping Over Each Other in Race for Kamoze", Billboard, 12 November 1994, p. 10, 109. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  13. ^ a b Atwood, Brett (1995) "Kamoze Competes Against Himself", Billboard, 4 March 1995, p. 8, 96. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  14. ^ Lichtman, Irv (1994) "Kamoze Signs Elektra Deal", Billboard, 26 November 1994, p. 136. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  15. ^ "Sony Baloney", Vibe, June–July 1995, p. 32. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  16. ^ a b Kwaaku (2006) "Hotstepper Returns", Billboard, 1 April 2006, p. 41. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  17. ^ Cooke, Mel (2007) "Ini Kamoze defines 'My Girl' Archived 23 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 20 July 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  18. ^ Cooke, Mel (2009) "CD review - Snipping would make Ini Kamoze's '51 50 Rule' even better Archived 6 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 25 September 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2012
  19. ^ Brennan, Sandra (9 October 1957). "Ini Kamoze - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper". lescharts.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Ini Kamoze | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Ini Kamoze – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  23. ^ "American certifications – Ini Kamoze". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  24. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  25. ^ "British certifications – Ini Kamoze". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 August 2024. Type Ini Kamoze in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  26. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ini Kamoze)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  27. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  28. ^ "French single certifications – Ini Kamoze" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
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