On 05 Nov 06 - 01:44 PM in this thread I posted my comment about the Zap Mama versions of the "Iko Iko."

Now, almost two years later, I have added this comment to that page on my website, and would like to also add it to this thread:

Providing that it's better late than never, I have recently become acquainted with the music of the Queen of Salsa music, Celia Cruz(October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003).

In a number of her songs, Celia Cruz shouts the word "Azucar!, the Spanish word for "sugar". Shouting "Azucar!" became a signature feature of Celia Cruz's songs. Fans of Celia Cruz also adopted that custom, in a demonstration of their delight in this wonderful Latin vocalist, and in appreciation for her music. Celia Cruz's signature use of the word "azucar" can be interpreted to mean that the music is sweet {It's good to the ears, heart, and spirit}, and/or "life is sweet".

Given this information, it now seems likely to me that Celia Cruz's use of this word was the source or at least one of the sources for the phrase "azucar azucar mama" in the Zap Mama version of "Iko Iko".

Information about Celia Cruz can be found on a number of different websites, including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celia_Cruz

Also, click on this hyperlink for a YouTube video of Celia Cruz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lArGoRhFr4E&feature=related
"La Vida Es Un Carnaval" translation-"Life is a carnival"}.

Other Celia Cruz videos can be found on YouTube, including this Spanish interview and brief videotape of a concert in which Celia Cruz and various fans are shown shouting "Azucar!": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L39F3w0oVZ8&feature=related