See all those languages? The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation.

Learn more about Lingua  »

Two Jamaican reggae artists with rural roots pass on, leaving echoes of the 1990s

Cocoa Tea and Determine leave behind a legacy of 'conscious' reggae music
Written byEmma Lewis
Read this post in українська, Español
Posted 17 March 2025 15:50 GMT

Feature image created using Canva Pro elements. Screenshot of Cocoa Tea taken from this You Tube video by Television Jamaica, and screenshot of Determine taken from this YouTube video uploaded by
Dj Frado.

Two Jamaican artists, Cocoa Tea and Determine, passed away recently, leaving behind a legacy of “conscious” reggae music that was especially popular in the 1990s even as the dancehall genre expanded and often blended with it. Although their styles were very different, the two singers had a few things in common: both came from fishing communities and experienced struggle in their lives, and both embraced Rastafari, expressing it in their music.

Sixty-five-year-old Colvin Scott (stage name Cocoa Tea) died on March 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a result of cardiac arrest, having been diagnosed with lymphoma several years earlier. Rohan Alexander Bennett (stage name Determine), who was 52, died of stomach cancer on February 13 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cocoa tea is a traditional Caribbean drink, warm and spicy, made from grated cocoa balls; it has a calming effect, with varying degrees of sweetness. Similarly, the style of the singer who adopted the name was smooth and melodic yet penetrating. Born in 1959, Cocoa Tea grew up in the fishing community of Rocky Point, Clarendon, on Jamaica's south coast, the son of a single mother. Rocky Point itself is a tough environment, which has suffered in recent years from the impacts of climate change, including Hurricane Beryl in 2024.

Although interested in music from his teenage years, Cocoa Tea's career got off to a slow start, and he worked several jobs. He was, at various points, a mason, a horse racing jockey at the Caymanas race track, and a fisherman back in Rocky Point before finally getting his big break in Kingston in 1984. A meeting with influential record producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes resulted in his debut, “Rocking Dolly.”

From then on, his career followed a steady trajectory. He wrote and sang songs that often had a social message. “Rikers Island” (1990), for example, was a warning to young Jamaicans migrating to the U.S. not to fall into bad ways and end up in the notorious New York prison. Throughout the 1990s, the prolific singer toured extensively overseas and worked with several record producers.

By this time, Cocoa Tea had adopted the Rastafari religion, telling the Jamaica Gleaner in 1998, “This is the livity I like.” His beliefs continued to infuse themselves into his songs, as is evident in this live performance.

In 1997, he established his own record label. Roaring Lion Records, based in his home parish of Clarendon, rather than in the capital of Kingston, enjoyed some success, signing popular acts such as Shabba Ranks and Buju Banton. One of his biggest hits was his 2008 song “Barack Obama,” in support of the presidential candidate.

Veteran UK reggae broadcaster David Rodigan shared on X/Twitter:

Cocoa Tea was extremely popular in Africa, and Kenyan reggae fans expressed their sorrow on social media. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation shared a tribute:

One music fan added:

Cocoa Tea's song “Holy Mount Zion” was inspired by Determine's hugely popular hit “Kette Drum,” recorded in 1995 as a collaboration with dancehall deejay Beenie Man and produced by groundbreaking record producer Bobby “Digital” Dixon. Cocoa Tea's version was one of many incorporating the hypnotic Nyabinghi rhythm that resonated with music fans. The tall Kette Drum (the Akete, or Repeater drum) plays a syncopated rhythm, often improvises, and has a higher pitch. It is always accompanied by two other types of drum during the Nyabinghi ceremony.

Also known as “Meshak,” Determine grew up in Annotto Bay, a coastal town in the parish of Saint Mary. Like Cocoa Tea, he stayed true to his roots and his production label was named after Sandy Lane, the neighbourhood where he grew up. His father was a fisherman and his mother a religious minister.

He did well at high school but decided on a musical career. Like many musical artists at the time, he went to Kingston, where he started off working with sound systems. He received the Rockers Award for best new deejay in 1995, the year he recorded “Kette Drum.” Strongly influenced by Bob Marley, he deejayed over several Marley rhythms. His uncompromising lyrics often criticised the Jamaican political system and highlighted the plight of poor Jamaicans.

Determine's son Romario “Runkus” Bennett, a roots reggae artist, shared:

“My father was a great man who overcame hardship and mek something of himself. He was di best I could ask for as a father.”

After he became more successful, having toured North America and Europe, Determine supported inner city communities, focusing on children's development, and adopted a basic school.

Music radio station Irie FM advertised a special celebration of Determine's life:

Popular reggae and dancehall singer Beenie Man shared his thoughts:

Both Cocoa Tea and Determine embodied an era in reggae that existed before the use of technology became more widespread. They collaborated with many artists, including dancehall deejays, bridging the gap with “roots” reggae and touching a chord in the hearts of music fans. Perhaps most importantly, having grown up in disadvantaged rural communities, they were acutely aware of the social problems besetting less privileged Jamaicans, and did not hesitate to express this in their music.

Categories

Regions
Topics
Creative Commons License
Written byEmma Lewis

Support our work

Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders.

Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work.

Donate now

Recent Caribbean Stories

More »

Top World Stories

Start the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.

This site is licensed as Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Please read our attribution policy to learn about freely redistributing our work Creative Commons License Some Rights Reserved