The song was Kamoze's only song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, reaching the number one position on December 17, 1994 and remaining there for two weeks. It was also a number one hit in Denmark and New Zealand, and a top ten hit in twelve other countries.
The "na-na-na-na-na" chorus is sampled from Cannibal And The Headhunters' version of "Land Of 1,000 Dances". The bass line is sampled from Taana Gardner's 1981 song "Heartbeat". "The Hotstepper" is Kamoze's nickname. It's a Jamaican term for a man on the run from the law. Ini Kamoze's name means "Mountain of the true God."
