Music Is Our Business brings together 15 Cocoa Tea singles and five previously unreleased master recordings from Bobby Dixon’s Digital B label, recorded between 1987 and 2003. The tracks represent a peak creative period in Cocoa Tea’s career and his work with one of dancehall’s greatest producer.
Tracks featured on Music Is Our Business include a previously unreleased cover of Dennis Brown’s “Things In Life,” an early digital reggae scorcher from 1987 called “Lonesome Side,” a previously unreleased cover of the Abyssinians’ anthemic “Declaration of Rights” and Cocoa Tea’s popular cover of Bob Marley’s “Waiting In Vain.”
VP’s two recent Bobby Digital anthologies X-Tra Wicked and Serious Times have brought new attention to the outstanding work that was coming out on the Digital B label during this golden period from the late 80s to early 00s, which included influential recordings from Cocoa Tea, Sizzla, Garnett Silk, Admiral Tibet and others.
Prior to Music Is Our Business, Cocoa Tea had 11 albums through VP Records, making him one of the label’s top legacy artist. Cocoa Tea is featured in his own display in VP’s 40th Anniversary exhibition, “A Reggae Music Journey,” which can be seen at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
On Thursday, March 28th, Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay’s famous hip strip, was renamed Jimmy Cliff Boulevard. the hip strip is internationally known for showcasing various talents in music and arts, and is a major tourist draw in the area.
This year the Öland Roots Festival is doing something bold! Their entire 2019 lineup is made up of women in various genres of urban music: reggae, dancehall, afrobeat and world music. Some of the confirmed acts are: Aurelia Dey, Etana, Marcia Griffiths, Koffee, Etzia and a slew of other known female entertainers.
