Urban World

Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives

Distant Relatives is the collaborative studio album from American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley, released in May 2010. Distant Relatives fuses musical elements of Hip Hop and Reggae and the album's lyrical content heavily revolves around themes concerning Africa: from ancestry, to spirituality, Biblical phrases, poverty and also with social commentary on the United States and Africa. The album debuted at #5 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 57,000 copies in its first week.

Distant Relatives sets the pace with an upbeat club track and the first single "As We Enter,“ which was released on iTunes in February, peaking at #10 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts and #41 on the iTunes Music charts. The single debuted at #39 on the UK Singles Chart. "Strong Will Continue" is to be featured in the soundtrack for 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.

The album title Distant Relatives, truly depicts the African ancestry Nas and Marley share spiritually, and is reflected through the album with songs such as “Tribal War”, “Leaders”, “Promise Land” and “Count Your Blessings.” The latter largely illustrates the plight of Africa.

Distant Relatives doesn’t fail to surprise you with guest artists: including Stephen Marley, Dennis Brown, Joss Stone, Lil Wayne, and K'naan. Bringing forth and fusing Hip Hop and reggae musical elements, Marley and Nas also incorporated samples from African music into the album. The album's production displays a “sound that's reminiscent of both artist, but not exactly like either” Marley told Rolling Stone.