Cocoa Tea

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

Life and career Born was in the fishing village of Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica on 3 September 1959, Cocoa Tea was one of the most popular singers in Jamaica 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 before eventually finding his way to Henry "Junjo" Lawes Volcano label in 1984, where he scored big hits with first "Rocking Dolly" and later "I Lost My Sonia", under the name Cocoa Tea. which achieved a good deal of success, releasing songs by some of the top artists on the island including Buju Banton, Louie Culture, Capleton, Cutty Ranks, Sizzla 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 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), 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 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 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 This specific version of his song was a clash version, the lyrics rewritten specifically to address disrespect.