Spring Break
Obama is praised worldwide
Music made in his honor can be heard across the globe
MCT
Issue date: 5/28/08 Section: Features
Since the exhaustingly long Democratic primary opened for business, a niche art form has blossomed in the black diaspora: the Barack Obama praise song.
The rhythms and melodies range from Jamaican reggae to Kenyan benga, but that pulse of a people's collective hopes racing into the ether is unmistakably familiar: "Yes, We Can" sounds the same in Luo as it does in English.
By the time Puerto Rico puts a wrap to this extended season of American political theater with its June 3 primary, some globetrotting multi-cultural record label--say, Putumayo or Mango--should have the goods for a compilation titled "Obama-mania: World Music Edition."
Track one could be the latest endorsement ringing out of Jamaica: "Barack Obama," a hastily assembled hard-steppin' reggae tune by the aging yet ever-eerie crooner Coco Tea. The 48-year-old's grizzled lilt is a voice from a lost generation of digitized mid-80s pop, a period in reggae history that rarely gets its dues outside of Jamaica.
Heretofore, the closest the singer ever hot-stepped towards politics was his seminal satire, "New Immigration Law," an enduring acknowledgment of what every ex-pat Rasta knows: "The government you just can't depend on." Documenting offense after offense, the song's ultimate message is less apolitical than anti-political--the singer is in line with a long Rastafarian tradition that views the Western political system as irredeemably corrupt. So to hear this chap waving hosannas for the "next president of the United States" is a bit of a shocker.
The musical euphoria flows from Coco Tea's zealous repetition of the words "Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama." It's a few cliches shy of a "Saturday Night Live" skit, but more importantly, it's a testament to the pervasive, border-leaping intensity of Obama's message--and a sign that the rock-hard forces of reggae cynicism and disillusionment can indeed be brought low.
Sail southward to the cheerier shores of Trinidad and you get swamped with "Barack the Magnificent," a dazzling calypso-fest in which trumpeting synthesizers emote the kind of love for Obama that you'd be hard-pressed to squeeze out of even his most fervent supporters. When it comes to grassroots enthusiasm, you can't compete with a synthesizer, and nobody knows that better than the musicians of Trinidad and Tobago, including the soca legend in question, Mighty Sparrow.
The rhythms and melodies range from Jamaican reggae to Kenyan benga, but that pulse of a people's collective hopes racing into the ether is unmistakably familiar: "Yes, We Can" sounds the same in Luo as it does in English.
By the time Puerto Rico puts a wrap to this extended season of American political theater with its June 3 primary, some globetrotting multi-cultural record label--say, Putumayo or Mango--should have the goods for a compilation titled "Obama-mania: World Music Edition."
Track one could be the latest endorsement ringing out of Jamaica: "Barack Obama," a hastily assembled hard-steppin' reggae tune by the aging yet ever-eerie crooner Coco Tea. The 48-year-old's grizzled lilt is a voice from a lost generation of digitized mid-80s pop, a period in reggae history that rarely gets its dues outside of Jamaica.
Heretofore, the closest the singer ever hot-stepped towards politics was his seminal satire, "New Immigration Law," an enduring acknowledgment of what every ex-pat Rasta knows: "The government you just can't depend on." Documenting offense after offense, the song's ultimate message is less apolitical than anti-political--the singer is in line with a long Rastafarian tradition that views the Western political system as irredeemably corrupt. So to hear this chap waving hosannas for the "next president of the United States" is a bit of a shocker.
The musical euphoria flows from Coco Tea's zealous repetition of the words "Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama." It's a few cliches shy of a "Saturday Night Live" skit, but more importantly, it's a testament to the pervasive, border-leaping intensity of Obama's message--and a sign that the rock-hard forces of reggae cynicism and disillusionment can indeed be brought low.
Sail southward to the cheerier shores of Trinidad and you get swamped with "Barack the Magnificent," a dazzling calypso-fest in which trumpeting synthesizers emote the kind of love for Obama that you'd be hard-pressed to squeeze out of even his most fervent supporters. When it comes to grassroots enthusiasm, you can't compete with a synthesizer, and nobody knows that better than the musicians of Trinidad and Tobago, including the soca legend in question, Mighty Sparrow.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
KHAHILI
posted 6/09/08 @ 8:12 AM EST
My husband and I are examples of the 20 and 30 something's crowd that helped give Obama the momentum he needed, to get his campaign off the ground and catapulting him to becoming the Democratic nominee. (Continued…)
Liz
posted 6/11/08 @ 12:51 PM EST
Barack Obama is one of the most disgusting people I've ever seen. He doesn't even love America. He won't wear a flag pin, and as Rev. Wright clearly stated, he doesn't like this country. (Continued…)
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