The Jamaica Star :: Entertainment :: Cocoa Tea sings for an Obama victory

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Cocoa Tea

Veteran reggae singer Cocoa Tea believes that his new song Barack Obama may impact positively on the Democrat candidate's chance of winning the United States 2008 presidential election.

Cocoa Tea, aka Calvin Scott, recently recorded the song showing his support for the junior United States Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. The song, which was released by New York's VP Records, may be used in Obama's campaign, Cocoa Tea said.

He said the response to the song has been "overwhelming". "The song has had write ups everywhere, I was even interviewed by the associate press. The song was even played on CNN and BBC. They said that that's the song Obama is supposed to use in his campaign. A radio disc jockey in New York called me and told me Obama's people called saying they need the song."

Trendsetter

The song entitled Barack Obama hails Obama as a trendsetter and urges Americans to unite as one behind him to "paint all di white house black."

According to Cocoa Tea, he made the song because he was impressed by Obama's message. "Di reason I record di song is because of what 's going on in the election, young people running round him, resounding his message, his message of change. Is a long time di White House run between Clinton and Bush, dem need a change," he said.

Cocoa Tea emphasised to the STAR that he is not supporting Obama because he is a black man, and pointed out that blacks and whites, no matter their circumstances, were also supporting the presidential candidate.

The song states "Well dis is not class nor colour, race nor creed/ Make no mistake, it's about the changes, what the Americans need/ dem a shout out Barrack Obama, Barack Obama."

Barack Obama and Cocoa Tea (above). - file photos

The song continues: "Black man and white woman shouting (Obama) Yuh can hear dem saying Barack Obama (repeat) ...Di momentum is hot and no one can't stop dat...All some of dem dat was racist a jump and shout out in di streets Barack Obama."

Cocoa Tea goes on to announce that the winner is not the other candidates as he sings "Its not Hilary Clinton (Obama), its not John McCain, it is not Chuck Norris and I know is not John Wayne (Obama)... Its not di terminator"

Cocoa Tea became the second major Caribbean musician to endorse Obama in song, joining Trinidadian calypso star, Mighty Sparrow, who recently recorded a track titled Barack the Magnificent.

Currently Barack Obama and his major opposition Hillary Clinton are the two leading candidates for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election. An October 2005 article in the British journal New Statesman listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world,"[214] the only politician included on the list.