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Pitbull's version of Toto's 'Africa' has listeners laughing, crying, giving thumbs down

Mr. Worldwide has blessed the rains down in Africa, which is either a blessing or a curse for us all.
Pitbull's version of Toto's 'Africa' has listeners laughing, crying, giving thumbs down

Mr. Worldwide has blessed the rains down in Africa, which is either a blessing or a curse for us all.

It depends how you feel about cringe-worthy rap songs.

In a track on the new "Aquaman" soundtrack, Pitbull re-imagine's Toto's delightfully-cheesy song "Africa." Compared to the original, the new song has instrumentation that's similar, a beat that's faster, a name that's sillier, singing that's louder and a heart that's blacker.

On "Ocean to Ocean," Pitbull shares a message of, um, water and overcoming obstacles (?) with what seem like off-topic references to Banksy, "The Great Gatsby" and Tupac. He spits rhymes like: "From ocean to ocean, sea to sea. I'm something that you gotta see." Singer Rhea belts the hook. And everyone listening busts out laughing.

Or crying.

Those seem the only appropriate reactions to the reworking of a beloved 1982 classic that was also just covered by Weezer and is now being featured in a CGI-heavy aquatic superhero movie at a moment when the characters, quite literally, go to Africa.

On YouTube, plenty of people are reacting this way to the 2-minute-and-25-second track: Thumb down.

"Ocean to Ocean," which was posted online Wednesday, currently has four times as many negative reactions as positive ones, with 10K thumbs down. The most popular comments include apologies to Toto, a request for a "vomit button" and people saying that the single should be illegal.

USA TODAY has reached out to Toto for comment.

In other news, Pitbull had his hand and footprint ceremony in Hollywood today.

Enjoy the original Toto track in all its glory below.

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