Cocoa Tea, Movado, and Tarrus Riley express their support for Barack Obama
Barack Obama has essentially clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, and just as with many Americans, it seems that he has already been declared the people’s favorite in the eyes of reggae artists too. Artists such as Cocoa Tea, Tarrus Riley, Junior Reid, Mighty Sparrow, and Buju Banton have all voiced their support of Senator Barack Obama in his bid for President. Obama’s call for change, charismatic and articulate nature, in addition to his ability to unify people across color, gender, and economic lines has an appeal that also transcends international boundaries.
Cocoa Tea has made a song and video entitled, “Barack Obama”, on VP Records. It’s quite catchy with lines such as, “This is not about class nor colour, race nor creed, “It’s about the changes, what the Americans need.” Tarrus Riley performed an Obama version of his hit “Beware” earlier this year, and you can hear the crowd go wild as he chants, “We want a Black president.” Mavado too has a song endorsing Barack, titled “We Need Barack” from DJ Green Lantern’s, Yes We Can Mixtape. You can check them all out after the piece.
Barack Obama’s very existence in this race as an African American male is of great significance and importance to Caribbean nations, and Black people as a whole. It is the first time in history, that there is the possibility of a Presidential candidate who looks like us being elected, and as superficial as that may sound to some, it is a testament to the legacy of our ancestors, that we have in fact and continue to overcome. At the same time, I would hope that Barack’s nomination and possible election would be historic not based solely on what color he is, but because he is ultimately the best candidate to make actual economic and social changes that are for the betterment of people here in the US, and around the world. Ultimately, it is not enough to be simply elected, for that is only part of the task, he must then become the best President not because he is Black, but because it is his call of duty.
Tarrus Riley- Beware-Obama Version
Mavado-We Need Barack (free download available here)
Mighty Sparrow-Barack The Magnificent
Afrobella also posted a very good article on Obama’s Caribbean influence, in which I used some info for this post from, read it here.
For all you Mavado Nike lovers, I had to include the picture of the custom Barack Air Force Ones. What do you think of those bad boys?
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