Nas and Damian team up for "Distant Relatives."
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Mariel Concepcion, N.Y.
As reported on Billboard.com earlier this year (read:
Nas Recording Album With Damian Marley) Queensbridge rapper Nas
and reggae artist/producer Damian “Jr Gong” Marley announced
yesterday (April 8) they are in still the studio prepping their
collaborative effort, “Distant Relatives,” slated for a late June
release. The two first join forces on a track titled “Road To Zion”
on Marley’s 2005 “Welcome to Jamrock.”
The album title is inspired by Nas and Damian’s relationship, but
also their shared African ancestry, which is a common thread
throughout the album. “Africa is the backbone of the world
and the foundation of everything and Africans are in a situation
where they need help more than anywhere else,” Damian Marley said
in a statement.
“As an American, we have so much even in a so-called recession that
a neighborhood like Queensbridge or Red Hook is Beverly Hills
compared to the way people are living in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and
Ghana,” added Nas. “So obviously if we making records with that
theme, there’s going to be things I want to build on. I think
Africa has a lot to teach us.”
The album release will be followed by an international concert
tour.
As previously reported, Nas and Marley are among the headliners
of this summer's Rock The Bells festival, along with Big Boi,
Common, The Roots, KRS-One, House of Pain, Tech N9ne, Murs, RZA,
Raekwon and others.