Colvin George Scott (3 September 1959 – 11 March 2025), better known as Cocoa Tea, was a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

singer and songwriter.

Life and career

Born in the fishing village of Rocky Point,

Clarendon Parish, Jamaica Clarendon () is a Parishes of Jamaica, 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 Parishes of Jamaica#Counties of Jamaica, county of Middlesex Count ...

on 3 September 1959, Cocoa Tea was one of the most popular singers in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

from the 1980s onwards, achieving significant worldwide success in the reggae world. He made his first venture into the music industry at only 14 years of age in 1974, when he released "Searching In The Hills" for Willie Francis' Little Willie label. When the song failed to hit the young Colvin gave up on the music industry for a while, and spent time working as both a jockey and a fisherman over the next few years. Unable to stay away for too long he gained experience singing live on various

sound systems Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

before eventually finding his way to

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 14 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

Volcano label in 1984, where he scored big hits with first "Rocking Dolly" and later "I Lost My Sonia", under the name Cocoa Tea. From there his career continued to progress, leading to overseas tours and working with many other Jamaican producers. Some of his biggest hits of this period include "Young Lover" and "Children of the Ghetto" for the Jammys label, as well as "Holding On" in collaboration with Home T and

Shabba Ranks Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD (born 17 January 1966), better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throu ...

for

Gussie Clarke Augustus "Gussie" Clarke (born 1954) is a roots reggae and dub producer who worked with some of the top Jamaican reggae artists in the 1970s and later set up his own ''Music Works'' studio. Career Clarke started working in the music industry b ...

's Music Works. In 1990 he released the hit "Rikers Island" on the Mr Doo imprint, inspired by John Holt's 1977 song "Up Park Camp", with re-worked lyrics referencing the

Rikers Island Rikers Island is a prison island in the East River in the Bronx, New York (state), New York, United States, that contains New York City's largest jail. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was orig ...

prison in New York City as a warning to young Jamaican immigrants of the time. He also voiced a version in combination with Nardo Ranks titled "Me No Like Rikers Island", which featured on the 1991 Columbia/SME Records compilation album, ''Dancehall Reggaespañol''. His success continued into the 1990s, with songs such as "Bust Outta Hell" again for Junjo, "Tune In" for Jammys, as well as working with new producers such as

Philip "Fatis" Burrell Philip "Fatis" Burrell (23 July 1954 – 3 December 2011)Katz, David (2011)Philip 'Fatis' Burrell obituary, ''The Guardian'', 6 December 2011, retrieved 2011-12-06 was a Jamaican record producer, who ran the Xterminator record label. He was one o ...

on "Good Life" and "She Loves Me Now", and Bobby 'Digital' Dixon for "Moving On", "Heathen" and "No Threat". Many of these productions found their way onto albums released by international labels such as

VP Records VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami, London, Kingston, Tokyo, ...

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationers' Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English F ...

and Ras Records. By this stage he had established himself as one of the top singers in the reggae world, and remained a favourite with fans, performing at almost every

Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash was a reggae music festival held annually in Jamaica from 1978 to 1996, with additional events in 1998 and 2006. The festival expanded to include international tours in 1985 and was revived as a virtual event in 2020 by Tryone ...

. In 1997 he launched his own label, Roaring Lion Records, which achieved a good deal of success, releasing songs by some of the top artists on the island including

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-re ...

, Louie Culture,

Capleton Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as Kin ...

, Cutty Ranks,

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

and of course "Sweet Sweet" Cocoa Tea himself. He gained notoriety in March 2008 after releasing a song titled "Barack Obama" on the label in support of the US presidential candidate of the same name. Cocoa Tea's song "Jah Made Them That Way" from his 1984 album ''Rocking Dolly'', interpolates "Human Nature" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and "Answer Mi Question" by Dillinger. He initiated the annual New Year's Eve events Dancehall Jam Jam in 2003 which ran until 2009. Cocoa Tea died from a cardiac arrest on 11 March 2025, at the age of 65.

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),

* ''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 is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

* ''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 Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist from Clarendon, Jamaica. Career In 1977, Levy formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Bla ...

* ''Clash'' (1985), Hawkeye -

Tenor Saw Clive Bright (2 December 1966 – 13 August 1988), better known as Tenor Saw, was a Jamaican dancehall singjay in the 1980s, considered one of the most influential singers of the early digital reggae era. His best-known song was the 1985 hit "R ...

& Cocoa Tea * ''Showdown Vol 8'' (1986), Hitbound -

Frankie Paul Paul Blake (19 October 1965 – 18 May 2017), better known as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Born blind, he has been dubbed by some 'The Jamaican Stevie Wonder'. Biography Born in Jamaica in 1965, Blake was born blind bu ...

& Cocoa Tea * ''Another One for the Road'' (1991),

- Home T, Cocoa Tea, and Cutty Ranks * ''Holding On'' (1991), VP - Cocoa Tea,

, 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 Fredrick "Freddie" McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to ...

, and

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

* ''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 A pendulum is a device made of a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate i ...

song "Set Me On Fire", which is included on their album ''

Immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...

''.

References

External links

Cocoa Tea
Biography of Cocoa Tea

Artists Only! Records * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cocoa Tea 1959 births 2025 deaths Jamaican dancehall musicians Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica Greensleeves Records artists VP Records artists