Welcome to Barack

By Gabriel_Heatwave |
Tuesday 20 January 2009 |
3 comments |

We've already heard Obama-themed songs from Mavado, Cocoa Tea, Sizzla, Capleton, Mykal Rose, Beenie Man and Beniton The Menace.

Now for Barack's inauguration today we're weighing in with contributions from Bugle, Barrington Levy, Busta Rhymes, Kardinal Offishall and Alston Becket Cyrus.

Sadly, as far as I'm aware there's still no sign of imaginary puntastic revoicings like Sizzla's Solid As Barack or Sister Nancy's O-Bam-Bam-a. We can only hope!

Bugle's ironically titled, optimistic yet oddly melancholy Supremacy is my favourite of these three tunes:

MP3: Bugle - Supremacy

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I started picking out a couple of quotes to use in this post but in the end transcribed nearly half the song. It's a pretty powerful lyric, though is perhaps a little premature in its conclusion; Obama's election alone won't solve the problems of racism and inequality.

Black people a we run the world and it evident
Cos we a move from slavery to president
All over the world we have life again
Yuh nuh see say dem White House nuh white again

Yuh nuh see say civil rights don't apply again
Power to the people we dem can't deny again

How mi know say black people a survivor
From di back of the bus to the driver
We're coming from the banana boat
To come be the pilot pon the plane

Remember Paul Bogle and Nanny dem
Nelson Mandela, Luther King, Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey dem
Dem set the ting we haffi honour dem

Huey Newton, Angela Davis, Steve Biko, Bob Marley dem
Don't forget Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson and Frederick Douglass
Cos dem fight fi human rights, now a new man rise
Obama rise the banner we have new born life, yes

Calypso legend Alston Becket Cyrus is similarly optimistic but there's certainly no tinge of melancholy in his euphoric, uplifting song. Even though he lists some of the serious domestic and international issues which Obama's presidency will have to grapple with:

The economic crisis, terrorism
Global warming, foreclosures - all await him
Plus Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan
I believe Barack will fix them one by one

MP3: Alston Becket Cyrus - Barack Obama

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Finally, dancehall veteran Barrington Levy teams up with rappers Busta Rhymes and Kardinal Offishall for a pacifist hip hop jam:

MP3: Barrington Levy, Busta Rhymes & Kardinal Offishall - No War

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Apparently reggae singers Cherine Anderson and Cocoa Tea will be performing at the inauguration celebrations, which will surely be considerably more enjoyable than watching Will I Am and Sheryl Crow murder Bob Marley's One Love.