Grade: 5/5 (classic)
Superstars working together to create a collaborative album, especially in hip-hop, is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. Jay-Z succeeded with the Collision Course project, but somewhat failed with the Best of Both Worlds project. Lil’ Wayne wanted to create albums with T-Pain and Juelz Santana respectively, but nothing surfaced. Even Ludacris did not fit the expectations of a collaboration album with Chicago rapper Shawnna for his most recent album Battle of the Sexes. Whether it is a clash of egos, conflict of schedules, lack of dedication, or even a lack of ability to replicate previous success into a 12-13 track album, many collaborative projects have been underwhelming and a failure overall. Nas is no stranger to this either, with the infamous 1997 The Firm project, involving Dr. Dre, AZ, Foxy Brown and Nature, becoming a regrettable moment in his illustrious hip-hop career. This time around, however, the Queensbridge rapper worked with Damian Marley to create Distant Relatives, an album people expect to be filled with very thought-provoking lyrics and strong instrumentals. With insurmountable expectations, considering that both are the sons of legendary musicians Olu Dara and Bob Marley respectively, can this album live up to its hype?
One thing that immediately stands out and separates itself from other collaboration albums is that it is focused around a common theme: Africa. With a topic that incites both Nas and Marley in their respective lyrics, one can expect the best work out of them. In addition, with the help of Damian Marley and Stephen Marley, the production is excellent and appropriate for the lyrics. The combination of tribal, African, and reggae influences in the beats provide a great backdrop to the lyrics and separate themselves from other albums released in 2010.
From the outset, Nas and Damian Marley exude their chemistry with the tribal, hard-hitting As We Enter going line by line similarly to the way Jadakiss and Styles P have done on previous albums. They follow this hard-hitting song with the appropriately titled Tribal War, featuring thought-provoking lyrics from Nas, Marley and guest K’naan. The apex of the tribal songs comes with Strong Will Continue, perhaps the standout song on this album. The song shows Damian Marley at his highest with the combination of strong lyrics, production, and passion.
The rest of the album afterwards shifts to a mellower, feel-good tone, showing less of the hard-hitting tribal instruments, but rather more of the production that has become a staple in reggae and African music. Even then, Nas and Marley continue to show their great chemistry and ability to flow and display their lyrical depth. Songs such as Leaders, Friends, and My Generation stand out in that aspect. Marley’s ability to create excellent choruses and Nas’ ability to be on point with his rhymes are present throughout the bulk of the album.
At a very modest 13 tracks at about an hour long, Nas and Damian Marley has filled their fans with a CD full of lyrical depth and high production. The guest list is minimal (Stephen Marley, K’naan, Dennis Brown, Joss Stone, Lil Wayne), but no one disappoints alongside Nas and Marley. Some of the biggest questions at the onset were if Nas and Damian Marley could have the chemistry to create a full album, but that is not a problem on this album. With topics that both Nas and Damian Marley are very passionate in, they have created most arguably their best work of music in their individual collection of work. Dispear is a track that needs to be listened to a couple times with its lyrics to really understand the true meaning of the song. This is not an album for the clubs, but rather an album for the hip-hop intellectuals and the fans that really care about lyrics and that is the area that Nas and Damian Marley both shine at. This is definitely an album I recommend to listen to multiple times. Listen one time for the production, and a couple other times to understand the true depth provided in this hour long album.
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