The pairing of the Queensbridge rapper Nas and the offspring of Jamaican music royalty Damian Marley seems odd on paper. But the harmony of Nas’ vocal duties against Marley’s instrumental backdrops is flawless. They have been working together in the studio for several months and now the duo is ready to release their collaboration “Distant Relative” June 23rd, 2009.
Nas and Marley met in 1996 and worked together on “Road to Zion” from Marley’s breakthrough album, the Grammy Award-winning “Welcome to Jamrock.”
They share an interest in progressive politics, humanitarian work and African ancestry. Currently, they are working on a school project in Africa where the album profits go to. And that’s what the record’s all about; ‘hood and Africa’. They are both fighting injustice in their own way, Nas against the U.S. racial inequalities. And like his father, Bob, Marley’s oeuvre talks about the poverty in Trenchtown ghettos. They want to help change this social problems “So obviously if we making records with that theme, there’s gonna be things I want to build on. I think Africa has a lot to teach us.” Nas says, about this collaboration.
Nas and Damian will present their album at the Rock The Bells tour, starting June 27th until August 9th.
Damian Marley feat Nas – Road To Zion – mytrace
