Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper” Returns to U.S. Screens 32 Years Later

More than three decades after becoming an international hit, Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper” is once again reaching a major mainstream audience.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the 1994 track is currently being used in a Verizon television advertising campaign in the United States. The renewed exposure comes 32 years after the Jamaican artist’s signature record became one of the defining Dancehall crossover songs of the 1990s.

A Dancehall record that crossed musical borders

“Here Comes the Hotstepper” was released in 1994 and became a major international success. The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while in the United Kingdom it peaked at No. 4 on the Official Singles Chart. It also spent four weeks at No. 1 on the UK’s Official HipHop and R&B Singles Chart.

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That crossover remains important to the song’s identity.

Built around Dancehall delivery while drawing heavily from HipHop, funk, soul and earlier recordings, “Here Comes the Hotstepper” connected Jamaican music culture with a much wider international audience. Producer Salaam Remi played a central role in the version that became the worldwide hit.

For DJs who grew up with 1990s HipHop, R&B and Dancehall, the record has long occupied a familiar space between genres rather than belonging to only one musical lane.

The song keeps finding new audiences

The reported Verizon campaign is not the first time the record has returned through advertising.

Ini Kamoze’s official website documents the use of a version of “Here Comes the Hotstepper” in Evian’s 2013 “Baby & Me” campaign. The Jamaica Gleaner also points to subsequent commercial licensing, showing how the track has continued to generate cultural and commercial relevance long after its original chart run.

The pattern has continued into 2026. The song was also used this year in a French Orange advertising campaign promoting satellite connectivity. 

Why the Hotstepper still matters

For DJ culture, the story goes beyond nostalgia.

A record surviving for more than three decades across clubs, radio, playlists, advertising and popular culture demonstrates something that short-term streaming numbers cannot guarantee: lasting recognition.

“Here Comes the Hotstepper” emerged during an era when Dancehall and HipHop were increasingly crossing international borders. Its continued use by major brands shows how music originating from Jamaican culture can remain recognizable to audiences far beyond its original release period.

Thirty-two years later, Ini Kamoze’s biggest international hit is still stepping into new spaces — and introducing another generation to one of the most recognizable Dancehall crossover records of the 1990s.