Cocoa Tea Records Reggae Song for Obama

Mar 9, 2008

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) Barack Obama has won what could be an influential endorsement among reggae fans: Jamaican singer Cocoa Tea, who's backing the Illinois senator in a new tune.

"This is not about class nor color, race nor creed," the veteran dancehall crooner sings in a version posted on the video Web site Dailymotion. "It's about the changes, what the Americans need."

The song goes on to call Obama a "trendsetter" and urge Americans "to unite as one" behind him.

Cocoa Tea, whose real name is Calvin Scott, said Sunday that the tribute song "Barack Obama" will be released this week by New York's VP Records.

"The young people who are supporting him want change and that's what he represents," said the singer, whose laid-back lyrical style made him a local star in the 1980s.

He becomes 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."