"Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a 1980 single by jazz trumpeter, Tom Browne. The single -- a memoir of the neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens where Browne was born and raised -- is from his second solo album, Love Approach. Browne got the idea for the song while he was at his parents' home.[1] The vocals for the single were provided by Toni Smith, who also helped compose the song. The song hit number one on the U.S. R&B chart for a month.[2] "Funkin' for Jamaica" peaked at number nine on the dance chart[3] and made the Top 10 on the UK singles chart.
DJ Tōwa Tei released his remix cover version as a single in both 1999 and 2001, which featured Les Nubians on vocals, performing part of the song in French.
In 2000, the song was featured on the Bob Baldwin album BobBaldwin.com with Tom Browne performing.[4]
In 2001, the song's intro was sampled on the Mariah Carey single, "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" for the soundtrack to Carey's film, Glitter.[5] The song has also been sampled by N.W.A.,EPMD, Snoop Dogg, Keith Murray, Erykah Badu, Shaquille O' Neal, The Black Eyed Peas[6] and others.[7]
In 2006, contemporary jazz guitarist Patrick Yandall covered the song from his album "Samoa Soul."