Inner Circle’s 1993 hit ‘Sweat’ now certified gold in America
The 1990s was a fruitful time for reggae and dancehall music on the international music scene. It was the decade that saw a number of Jamaican acts being signed to major labels in America. Quite a few achieved commercial success on the music charts, among them Jamaican band Inner Circle.
Earlier this week, Sweat, a 1992 hit song by the group was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales exceeding 500,000 in digital sales. The song was previously certified gold in the United Kingdom for sales exceeding 400,000 units.
Taken from the group’s 12th studio album Bad to the Bone (1992), Sweat (A La La La La Long) peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three in the United Kingdom. It also made charts in several European territories.
It is among a number of international hits made in the 1990s by Jamaican acts.
Diana King scored big with hits like Shy Guy, I Say A Little Prayer for You, Ain’t Nobody and L-L-Lies, while Patra had several hits and a gold selling album with Queen of the Pack.
Shaggy sold multi-platinum with the album and single Boombastic, while Shabba Ranks scored with back-to-back Grammy winning albums As Raw As Ever and Xtra Naked, both certified gold.
Mad Cobra mined gold with Flex from his major label debut album Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry and Super Cat signed with Columbia Records and had success on the Billboard R&B charts with Dolly My Baby and Ghetto Red Hot. He collaborated with hip-hop act Kriss Kross on Jump (remix) and Alright, while scoring a number one radio hit with rock act Sugar Ray on Fly.