Legendary rapper Nas spoke to the Miami Herald recently about his upcoming collaboration with Reggae artist Damian Marley (son of Bob Marley), Distant Relatives.
“Reggae and Hip Hop are cousins,” explained Nas. “Go back before the ’90s and think about the music that was playing on the ghetto blasters and you’ll hear it.” This explains the album’s title, which fuses Nas’ rap with Marley’s reggae.
The rapper also elaborated on how the collaboration came to be. “I’ve worked with a lot of reggae artists, like Sizzla and Supercat, but not until Jamrock did I get a chance to work with Damian,’‘ he said. “I love his music and I’m a big fan of Bob Marley and the whole family.“
As for tour dates, Nas was non-committal, but believed fans could reasonably expect them in the future. “We haven’t worked out any tour dates yet. But I’m sure Damian and I will do something soon.”
A portion of the proceeds from Distant Relatives will go to charity projects in Africa. “It’s overdue, and I want to help build whatever we can there.”
“Strong Will Continue,” which is believed to be the album’s first single, was released last week.
