Calvin George Scott (born 3 September 1959),
better known as Cocoa Tea, is a
Jamaican
reggae singer and
songwriter.
Biography
Born in Rocky Point,
Clarendon Parish, Jamaica
Clarendon is a parish in Jamaica. It is located on the south of the island, roughly halfway between the island's eastern and western ends. Located in the county of Middlesex, it is bordered by Manchester on the west, Saint Catherine in the eas ...
,
Cocoa Tea was popular in
Jamaica from 1985, but has become successful worldwide since the 1990s. One of his most famous songs is "
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...
",
which was later put into a
ragga version by Nardo Ranks entitled "Me No Like Rikers Island" (featured on ''Dancehall Reggaespanol'') which was released the same year as the original "Rikers Island". He also gained fame with the song "Young Lover". He gained notoriety in March 2008 after releasing a song titled "Barack Obama" in support of the US
Presidential candidate by the same name. Cocoa Tea's song "Jah Made Them That Way" from his 1984 album ''Rocking Dolly'' interpolates
"Human Nature" by
Michael Jackson and "Answer Mi Question" by
Dillinger.
He initiated the annual New Year's Eve events Dancehall Jam Jam in 2003; It ran until 2009, with plans to resurrect it in 2015.
[Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2014)]
Cocoa Tea Looks to Sunset in Negril
, ''Jamaica Observer
''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'', 1 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014
After recording for many of the top reggae labels including
VP Records,
Greensleeves Records and
Ras Records, he started his own Roaring Lion label around 2000.
Discography
Albums
* ''Weh Dem A Go Do...Can't Stop Cocoa Tea'' (1984), Volcano
* ''I Lost My Sonia'' (1985), Volcano
* ''Settle Down'' (1985), Corner Stone
* ''Mr. Coco Tea'' (1985), Corner Stone
* ''Sweet Sweet Coco Tea'' (1985), Blue Mountain
* ''The Marshall'' (1985), Jammy's
* ''Cocoa Tea'' (1986), Jimpy's
* ''Come Again'' (1987), Jammy's
* ''Rikers Island'' (1991),
VP
* ''Rocking Dolly'' (1991), RAS
* ''Authorized'' (1991),
Greensleeves
* ''Kingston Hot'' (1992), RAS
* ''I Am the Toughest'' (1992), VP
* ''Weh Dem A Go Do - Can't Stop Cocoa Tea'' (1992), VP
* ''One Up'' (1993), Greensleeves
* ''Good Life'' (1994), VP
* ''Sweet Love'' (1994), VP
* ''Tune In'' (1994), Greensleeves
* ''Can't Live So'' (1994), Shanachie
* ''Come Love Me'' (1995), VP
* ''Israel's King'' (1996), VP
* ''Holy Mount Zion'' (1997),
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
* ''One Way'' (1998), VP
* ''Unforgettable'' (2000), Roaring Lion
* ''Feel the Power'' (2001), VP
* ''Tek Weh Yuh Gal'' (2004), Kings of Kings
* ''Save Us Oh Jah'' (2006), VP
* ''Biological Warfare'' (2007), Minor7Flat5
* ''Yes We Can'' (2009), Roaring Lion
* ''In a Di Red'' (2012), VP
* ''Sunset in Negril'' (2014), Roaring Lion
Split albums
* ''Corner Stone Presents Clash Of The 80's'' (1986), Corner Stone - Cocoa Tea &
Barrington Levy
* ''Clash'' (1985), Hawkeye -
Tenor Saw & Cocoa Tea
* ''Showdown Vol 8'' (1986), Hitbound -
Frankie Paul & Cocoa Tea
* ''Another One for the Road'' (1991),
Greensleeves - Home T, Cocoa Tea, and
Cutty Ranks
* ''Holding On'' (1991), VP - Cocoa Tea,
Shabba Ranks, and Home T, a.k.a. ''Pirate's Anthem''
* ''Sanchez Meets Cocoa Tea'' (1993),
Jet Star - with
Sanchez
* ''Legit'' (1993),
Shananchie - Cocoa Tea,
Freddie McGregor, and
Dennis Brown
* ''Israel Vibration Meets Cocoa Tea'' (1999), Cactus
* ''Another One For The Road (Greensleeves 30th Anniversary Edition)'' (2007), Greensleeves - Home T, Cocoa Tea, and
Cutty Ranks
Compilation albums
* ''20 Tracks of Cocoa Tea'' (1991), Sonic Sounds
* ''RAS Portraits'' (1997), RAS.
* ''In His Early Days'' (1998), Corner Stone
* ''Best Of'' (1999), Socadisc
* ''Reggae Legends Vol 3'' (1999), Artists Only
* ''Kings of Reggae'' (2002), Nocturne
* ''Live in Jamaica'' (2002), Sankofa
* ''Reggae Anthology: The Sweet Sound of Cocoa Tea'' (2008), 17 North Parade
* ''Reggae Legends'' (2009), 17 North Parade
* ''The Best of Cocoa Tea'' (2012), Jammy's
* ''Music is Our Business'' (2019), VP
In popular culture
His song "We Do The Killing" was sampled in the
Pendulum song "Set Me On Fire", which is included on their album ''
Immersion''.
References
External links
Cocoa Tea Biography of Cocoa Tea
Artists Only! Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocoa Tea
1959 births
Living people
Jamaican dancehall musicians
Jamaican reggae musicians
People from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica
Greensleeves Records artists
VP Records artists