Buju Banton and Protoje picked a very deliberate date to drop their new collaboration. “Oh My,” a joint single with Brooklyn singer Cocoa Sarai, arrived on October 10, World Mental Health Day. That timing tells you exactly what kind of record this is.
Buju opens the track with a line that sets the tone right away: “It’s a cry to humanity.” It’s a move straight out of reggae’s long habit of using the riddim as a platform for social commentary.
Buju has been doing that since the early 90s, and he still sounds like the elder statesman calling the room to order.
Cocoa Sarai, who has won both a Grammy and an Emmy, brings the hook. Her refrain, “Elevate the mind before the body gone,” is the line most likely to stick with listeners, and it ties the mental health theme directly to the music. She leans into the soulful, gritty Brooklyn sound that has become her calling card.
Protoje steps in to push the unity message even further with “It’s all love no enemies.” As the frontman of the modern roots revival and head of the In.Digg.Nation Collective, he’s become one of the most recognisable voices in contemporary reggae. Pairing him with Buju puts two generations of Jamaican conscious music on the same track.
The production credits are where things get interesting for anyone who follows hip hop and R&B. Toronto producer WondaGurl, whose resume includes work with Rihanna, Drake and Travis Scott, executive produced the wider project and contributed to this track. LosHendrix, known for SZA’s “Good Days,” and Nami Ondas also worked on the beat.
The result isn’t a rap producer forcing a reggae sound, though. The arrangement leans on live horns, flute and percussion, with Lila Iké adding background vocals alongside Cocoa Sarai. Lila Iké is signed to Protoje’s own label, so her presence keeps the record rooted in his camp.
“Oh My” is the second single from Conscious Planet, a compilation EP centred on environmental sustainability, mental well being and unity.
The project was made with Conscious Music Circle and released in partnership with Caribbean label Monk Music Group.
Its first single, “Ancient Seed,” came out in March and featured Dhee, Tiwa Savage, Santhosh Narayanan and WondaGurl.
That lineup shows the project’s reach goes well beyond Kingston. Pulling in voices from Nigeria, India and North America alongside Jamaica gives the compilation a global footprint that matches its message.
The whole effort supports Save Soil, an environmental campaign launched by Sadhguru in 2022 to tackle soil degradation.
Some listeners will come for the cause, while others will come purely for a rare Buju and Protoje pairing. The project seems built to welcome both crowds.
With two singles out, more Conscious Planet tracks are likely on the way before the full EP lands. Who else WondaGurl brings into the circle is the next question fans will be watching.
