Pump Up the Jam

"Pump Up the Jam" is the opening track on the Belgian act Technotronic's first album, Pump Up the Jam: The Album (1989). It was released as a single on 18 August 1989 by Swanyard and SBK Records and was a worldwide hit, reaching number 2 in the United Kingdom in late 1989 and on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1990. It also peaked at number 1 in Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain. "Pump Up the Jam" has been described as a fusion of rap and deep house elements, as an early example of the hip house genre, and it has been considered the first Eurodance song to become a hit in the US. Technotronic's vocalist Ya Kid K was initially overshadowed by Congolese model Felly Kilingi, who appears lip-syncing in the music video and was featured on the first album cover as a marketing tactic. Ya Kid K was ultimately recognized upon a U.S. tour and a repackaged album cover that featured her instead of Felly appeared thereafter. In 2005, the song was remixed by DJ-producer D.O.N.S. and reached number one on the British Dance Chart. The Guardian featured the song on their "A History of Modern Music: Dance" in 2011. In 2020 and 2025, Slant Magazine and Billboard magazine included it in their lists of the best dance songs of all time. The song was covered by Lil Uzi Vert in 2021 for the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.