Distant Relatives
- Nas And Damian Marley
- Band Name: Nas And Damian Marley
- Record Label: Republic
- Release Date: May 18, 2010
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80it's disappointing that collaborative projects featuring prominent artists from these fields haven't yet delivered a worthwhile album. Marley's 2005 release Welcome to Jamrock was a step forwards, but Distant Relatives represents an accomplished attempt to go further, fusing traits with few discernable flaws.
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Still, as much as the warped good intentions of the album can get exhausting and embarrassing, Nas and Damian's creative side remains pure enough to carry one through the lunkheaded didacticism.
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61Too often on Distant Relatives, Nas and Marley fall into a sort of middlebrow funk, kicking overripe platitudes over sunny session-musician lopes and letting their self-importance suffocate their personalities.
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Children's gospel choirs and Joss Stone make somewhat unnecessary appearances, but musically the project impressively meets its goal of cultural connection.
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This is a solid, serious collection of songs--the product of two thoughtful and ambitious musicians--and an album that doesn't need a panel discussion to establish its importance.
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It feels almost vain to describe individual tracks, because every last note on Distant Relatives blends to form a seamless, cohesive whole.
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Distant Relatives is this African contradiction explored further with hip-hop, dancehall, and by way of samples, jazz, and African music showing the way. It's a royal and a striking reminder of why these two artists have reached legendary status.
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80It's thoughtful, sincere, weighty stuff, tackling subjects from African poverty to the diamond trade without sounding preachy or schmaltzy.
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80They've made an album that is bold and commendable, and nothing like as preachy as it might have been.
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80Nas and Damian Marley are a formidable pairing, seemingly on the same level throughout most of the album in thought and overall presence.
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The live-band reggae sometimes feels sleepy, but Nas is there to slap the track awake--as on "Land of Promise."
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60At times, the results are a bit aimless; even a cute kids' chorus can't save "My Generation" from Joss Stone's wailing or Lil Wayne's awkward motivational turn. When the two principles catch a groove, though, it's impressive.
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It all adds up to something that is far less than a great record, but those who approach Distant Relatives can expect at least a handful of keepers for the summer months.
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40Nas isn't as passionate or well-informed about Africa's issues as he is about his own, a problem on an album that's supposed to be all about... Africa....Meanwhile, Marley dutifully toasts over the record's limp, rootsy production but really only wakes up for the harder beats, which are few and far between.
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The result is an exceptionally melodic reggae album that's intensified by rapping devoid of dancehall patois and a hard edge unknown to roots revivalism. The result is also an exceptionally political hip-hop album that's most convincing when it doesn't multiply Afrocentric distortion by Rastafarian reasoning.
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Few best-of-both-worlds collaborations work as well as Distant Relatives, which pairs Nas' incendiary rhymes with the keening hooks and global rhythms that Bob Marley's youngest son favors.
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100There is very little that doesn't work, with both Marley (obviously) and Nas (surprisingly) meshing flawlessly into practically everything.
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70Distant Relatives will be ubiquitous in many people's summer soundtrack, nagging imperfections and all, and might even enlighten some folks in the process. Music geeks will find plenty to pick apart, but the general population has no reason to ignore this release.
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Nas and Marley have created an intermittently novel and vexing record, one that proves that the two genres need not be so distant, provided they can avoid didacticism.
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Nas and Marley's less-than-transcendent but solid collaboration doesn't exactly offer the best of both worlds, but heaven knows it towers above Jay-Z and R. Kelly's similarly conceived, infinitely less ambitious and conscious The Best Of Both Worlds.
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80[This album] finds a glorious similitude between the two disciplines. [Jul 2010, p.92]
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60Sadly, Nas brings self-importance to "Strong Will Continue," that's encumbered his latter career, but it's the exception on a broadly fruitful collaboration. [Jul 2010, p.115]
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40Reggae-rap soundclash fails to catch fire. [July 2010, p. 136]