A Buju Banton verse and a WondaGurl production credit don’t usually turn up on the same reggae track. That’s part of what makes “Oh My” stand out, a new collaboration from Conscious Music Circle released for World Mental Health Day.
Protoje broke the news himself on Facebook, calling it a “special project” and saying he was “blessed to be a part of” it. He tagged Cocoa Sarai, Buju Banton, WondaGurl, Namiondas and Loshendrixx alongside him, then kept the rollout simple: “This one called OH MY out everywhere.
That’s the whole announcement. There’s no long press statement or breakdown of who handles which section, so the song is left to explain itself.
The lineup gives fans plenty to discuss. Protoje has spent more than a decade as one of the central voices of reggae’s modern revival, building the In.Digg.Nation Collective and earning Grammy nominations along the way. His catalogue has often leaned reflective, so a mental health release fits with where he’s usually been.
Buju Banton brings a different weight. The veteran dancehall and reggae figure won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album with “Before the Dawn” and returned to Jamaica after his release from prison in December 2018. Since then he’s been one of the most closely watched elders in the genre.
WondaGurl is the name that suggests the track could reach beyond reggae and dancehall circles. The Canadian producer built her reputation in hip-hop, with credits that include Jay-Z’s “Crown” and Travis Scott’s “Antidote.”
Her involvement hints that Conscious Music Circle wanted this release to travel across scenes rather than stay inside one.
Cocoa Sarai, Namiondas and Loshendrixx complete the credits Protoje listed. The post doesn’t specify whether they sing, write or produce, so listeners will have to sort that out from the record itself.
The timing raises its own questions. Mental health has historically been a difficult subject in Jamaican music and the wider culture around it, where toughness and resilience tend to carry more weight than vulnerability.
A song built around World Mental Health Day, featuring a figure of Buju’s stature, steps into that tension whether it intends to or not.
Some listeners will likely treat “Oh My” as a welcome sign that the conversation is opening up. Others will want to see whether it leads to anything beyond a single release on a single day. Conscious Music Circle hasn’t said, at least in Protoje’s post, whether more is planned.
For now, the track is out across platforms. Protoje’s wording suggests he sees the project as more than a routine feature.
