Artistes: Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley and Nas
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Reggae
After a long wait and much hype over the combination of reggae through Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley and rap through American Nas, 'Distant Relatives' has proved to be more than the combination of two powerful genres: it is the fusion of powerful ideas as well.
Nas and Marley first worked together years ago on Road to Zion, on Marley's third album Welcome to Jamrock, where Nas took his spin on a mainly reggae track. Distant Relatives has been in the works for the last two years with the proceeds said to be going towards building a school in the Congo in Africa. The two combine their styles well, which is seen best in the album's lead track As We Enter, where the two go back and forth in their lyrics as seen when Nas raps, "I got the guns" to which Marley responds, "I got the ganja".
A 13-track album, Distant Relatives is focused not only on blending many different genres from reggae, to rap, including African beats and chants, but discusses serious issues as they plead for Africa to "wake up" touching on issues of materialism, poverty and oppression. In Leaders, Marley chants, "Who do a follow? Who do a copy" as brother Stephen Marley provides his haunting voice for the hook. In Africa Must Wake Up (featuring K'Naan), Nas provides a thank-you, saying, "That's why me and Damian come together cause we're all from one place, Africa - we're all family."
My Generation sees appearances from Joss Stone and rapper Lil Wayne on a gospel-like beat while Count Your Blessings has an upbeat tempo as the artistes give their blessings for 'welfare', 'joy in abundance' and more. The album also shows its roots-reggae influence with Tribal War. Tribal War takes its chorus from Johnny Clarke and U Brown's No Tribal War. Roots reggae's contribution to the project does not end there, as the late Dennis Brown's chorus from Promise Land was borrowed in Nas and Junior Gong's number Land of Promise.
Not sticking to one style, the two change their vocal styles throughout the album: Nas has his typical rap-like flow which he shifts now and again but it is Marley who changes his flow more. In Dispear, Marley moves from singing to whispering and deejaying and back to his signature fast-paced deejaying. Overall, the album is a good listen throughout with powerful beats provided by the live band, a powerful message and a good blend of styles and genres.
COURTESY OF THE JAMAICA STAR
Track Listing:
1. As We Enter
2. Tribal War (feat. K'Naan)
3. Strong Will Continue
4. Leaders
5. Wisdom
6. Count Your Blessings
7. Dispear
8. Land of Promise (feat. Dennis Brown)
9. In His Own Words
10. Nah Mean
11. Friends
12. My Generation (feat. Lil Wayne and Joss Stone)
13. Africa Must Wake Up (feat. K'Naan)
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