• Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: May 18, 2010
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 98 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 98
  2. Negative: 7 out of 98

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  1. Nov 27, 2010
    10
    It's better than I expected, and I had high hopes for Nas and Damian Marley. Great production and lyrics from both seemed to complement each other very well.
  2. Dec 17, 2010
    10
    This is defintely one of the best albums of the year. Nas and Damian Marley are one of the two greatest living artists I know. The lyrics are mind blowing and the production is great but not excellent.
  3. Oct 3, 2012
    10
    I had to register and write a review for this CD because anyone who heard this and understood what they were trying to do on this one wouldn't have gave this CD lower then a 9 out of 10. No filler tracks, the songs go well together, they keep the CD going. Bad Meets Evil,Jay-Z and Kanye West etc. No one is going to make this good of a mainstream Collabo CD.
  4. Aug 13, 2010
    7
    A lyrically robust collection with unfortunately average production.

    Nas and Damian Marley are two of the most intellectual songwriters in the industry. Their lyrics displayed portraits of frustration, poverty, angst, politics, crime, and hope. It is only right that they make an album together making a unique experience of reggae and hip hop. The lyrics are amazingly complex but are able
    A lyrically robust collection with unfortunately average production.

    Nas and Damian Marley are two of the most intellectual songwriters in the industry. Their lyrics displayed portraits of frustration, poverty, angst, politics, crime, and hope. It is only right that they make an album together making a unique experience of reggae and hip hop.

    The lyrics are amazingly complex but are able to bring points across. The lyrical mafioso Nasir Jones, as always laces his words with staggering flows, multisyllabic rhythms, creativity, and sense. He shows his analysis of modern day life through detailed observations that have underlying tones of criticism.

    The guest vocals don't do bad either. K'Naan gives a thoughtful verse on Tribal War and Stevie Wonder is a beautiful fit. But Lil Wayne? Weezy does not quite belong on an album like this. He should have been featured on a quieter track. He sounds out of tune on My Generation. Even lead star Damian gets tiresome in songs like Nah Mean.

    The biggest fault of the album however is the production. Parts are brilliant but others are repetitive and ultimately boring. The sound is dated and unoriginal. The blandness simply cannot fit with the mighty prose.

    Distant Relatives is somewhat of an extra to one's collection. The rhymes are the main show but the production really keeps it from being a classic. Maybe a little more ambition could have helped.
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  5. Dec 21, 2010
    8
    Good album but falls short of being great. The idea of having these two artists on the one album had me intrigued, and I have to say it really does work, but some tracks are a little mediocre while others are sublime. In any case this as been going round and round for me. A great listen and enjoyable collaboration.
  6. Apr 21, 2012
    8
    Damn I did not expect this album to be this good. Reggae fused with rap is sick, and who better to be fuse them than two legends in their respective genres? As We Enter, Nah Mean and the chilling Patience are highlights from this album.
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Mojo
    80
    [This album] finds a glorious similitude between the two disciplines. [Jul 2010, p.92]
  2. Q Magazine
    40
    Reggae-rap soundclash fails to catch fire. [July 2010, p. 136]
  3. 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.