Two generations of Jamaican conscious music just met on one record. Buju Banton and Protoje have teamed up with Brooklyn singer Cocoa Sarai on "Oh My," a reflective new single released on October 10, World Mental Health Day. The date was no accident. The song is built as a call to care for the mind, the spirit, and the planet, and it arrives with a lineup that stretches from Kingston to Toronto.
Buju Calls the Room to Order
Buju opens the track with a line that frames everything that follows: "It's a cry to humanity." It is a move straight out of reggae's long tradition of using the riddim as a platform for social commentary. Buju has been doing exactly that since the early 1990s, and on "Oh My" he sounds like the elder statesman stepping to the mic to settle the yard before the message lands.
Cocoa Sarai, who has won both a Grammy and an Emmy, carries the hook, and her refrain is the part most likely to follow listeners home. She leans into the soulful, gritty Brooklyn sound that has become her calling card, and she ties the mental health theme directly into the melody instead of leaving it as a talking point.
"Elevate the mind before the body gone."
Protoje Widens the Circle
Protoje steps in to push the unity message 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 has become one of the most recognisable voices in contemporary reggae. Hearing him share a track with Buju puts two eras of Jamaican conscious music side by side, and the pairing feels less like a passing of the torch and more like two teachers reading from the same book.
Hip Hop Credits, Roots Sound
The production credits will catch the eye of 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.
None of that means a rap producer forcing a reggae sound. The arrangement leans on live horns, flute, and percussion, and Lila Ike adds background vocals alongside Cocoa Sarai. Lila Ike is signed to Protoje's own label, so her presence keeps the record rooted firmly in his camp.
Conscious Planet and What Comes Next
"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," arrived in March with Dhee, Tiwa Savage, Santhosh Narayanan, and WondaGurl, pulling in voices from Nigeria, India, and North America alongside Jamaica.
The whole effort supports Save Soil, the environmental campaign Sadhguru launched in 2022 to tackle soil degradation. Some listeners will come for the cause and others purely for a rare Buju and Protoje link-up, and the project is clearly built to welcome both crowds. With two singles out, more Conscious Planet tracks are likely before the full EP lands, and the next question is who WondaGurl brings into the circle.
