b. Cecil Campbell, 9 October 1957, Port Maria, St. Mary, Jamaica, West Indies. Although he enjoyed huge crossover success in the mid-90s, Kamoze was already a veteran on the reggae scene. His debut single "World Affairs" was released in 1981. On the strength of this track and other singles he soon became known as the Voice Of Jamaica. His reputation brought him to the attention of the Taxi Gang, led by Sly And Robbie. In 1983, the duo produced Ini Kamoze, released through Island Records, which earned him international acclaim, but at the same time his local success faltered, as message music was becoming less popular in the dancehall. At the 1984 Jamaican Sunsplash, however, Kamoze appeared in the line-up on dancehall night, giving an impressive performance to an audience in the grip of DJ mania. The release of Statement followed in the same year, including the track "Call The Police", which was included on the soundtrack of Good To Go. His debut performance in the UK was at the 1985 Reggae Sunsplash, as part of Sly And Robbie's showcase, which also featured Gregory Isaacs and Sugar Minott. His performance was greeted with enthusiasm and the tour was equally successful in Europe. Pirate did not enjoy the success of its predecessors, despite the inclusion of some notable tracks, including "Betty Brown's Mother", "Gunshot", a warning about the dangers of firearms, and "Queen Of My House". In the same year Kamoze toured with Yellowman, Half Pint and the Taxi Gang, including a show at the Town & Country Club that was recorded and released as The Taxi Connection Live In London. A condensed showcase of the tour was featured on the UK television music show The Tube. In 1987, Kamoze left the Taxi Gang and Island and began working with the One Two Crew, with whom he shared production duties on Shocking Out. He won new fans with his single "Stress", featured on the one rhythm album Selekta Showcase, released on his own Selekta label. His work remained popular in reggae charts, and the compilation set 16 Vibes Of Ini Kamoze enjoyed strong sales. The ever popular "Stalag" rhythm found the singer winning dancehall approval with the hit "Another Sound". In the winter of 1994, he sensationally leapt to the top of the US pop charts with "Here Comes The Hotstepper", thanks to its inclusion on the soundtrack of Robert Altman's Prˆt A Porter. The song, which was originally recorded with Philip "Fatis" Burrell for the Stir It Up compilation on Epic Records, was also a UK Top 5 hit in January 1995. The success of the single led to a contract with Elektra Records, for whom he released the hip-hop influenced Lyrical Gangsta. Subsequent singles for Burrell marked a welcome return to the dancehall style.

Listen to Ini Kamoze at Finetune.

• Here Comes the Hotstepper
• Hot Steppa
• Trouble You A Trouble Me
• Hill & Gully Ride

• Madonna
• 2Pac
• Snoop Dogg
• TLC
• Janet Jackson
• Salt N Pepa
• LL Cool J
• Dr. Dre
• Will Smith
• Coolio
• Naughty by Nature
• The Notorious B.I.G.
• Warren G
• Montell Jordan
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
• Sir Mix-a-Lot
• Beastie Boys
• House of Pain
• RUN-DMC
• Cypress Hill

• Caribbeancelebs
• BUDDHAART
• pr3ttymj
• rideout2003
• SCREWYFITS

• hypergrl4ever92 on 2007-02-21 16:14:51.180:
  I love the song: here comes the hotstepper!!!!!!!!!!11