''Distant Relatives'' is a collaborative

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

and Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

vocalist Damian Marley. It was released on May 18, 2010, by Universal Republic,

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. ''Distant Relatives'' was recorded between 2008 and 2010, being produced primarily by Damien and Stephen Marley, both sons of the most-known Jamaican musician

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

. Fusing musical elements of

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and reggae, it features wide-ranging lyrical themes concerning

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atla ...

and the universality of the human condition. It features appearances from K'naan, Stephen Marley, Dennis Brown, Junior Reid, Joss Stone and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

. The album debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 57,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, ''Distant Relatives'' received positive reviews from most music critics.

Background

News of the album first came at the 2009 Grammy Awards, when Nas told MTV reporters "Right now, I'll tell you first, I'm working on an album with Damian Marley. We tryin' to build some schools in Africa with this one, and trying to build empowerment. We're tryin' to show love and stuff with this album. So, the record's … all about really the 'hood and Africa also as well." The album title derives from Nas and Marley's relationship, their shared African ancestry, and the shared ancestry of the entire human race; which musically and lyrically inspired each recording. Leftover tracks from Nas and Marley's previous albums were originally planned for an EP based on Africa. After working together, the duo decided to record a full album together.

Recording and production

Nas and Marley began recording in 2008; recording sessions took place in Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida. Marley and his brother,

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

, produced the majority of the album, using live instrumentation in the recording process. They collaborated with guest artists, including Stephen Marley, Joss Stone,

, and K'naan. On the album's production, Marley told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', "We're trying to have a sound that's reminiscent of both of us, but not exactly like either... A lot of charity albums come off corny. We want this to be something you'd play in your car."

Music

Fusing

and

musical elements, Marley and Nas also incorporated samples from African music into the album. The album's lyrical content heavily revolves around themes concerning Africa, from ancestry and poverty, with social commentary of the United States and Africa. The track "Count Your Blessings" reflects on the plight of Africa.

Release and promotion

Nas and Damian Marley performing in Wellington Photo By Brady Dyer

The album was released May 18, 2010 on Universal Republic and

. Its proceeds will go to a project in Africa, with the possibility of building a school in Congo.

Panel discussion

At a sold-out panel discussion on the

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...

and its relation to music, sponsored by

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

, Damian and Stephen Marley and Nas were among the several hip hop and reggae musicians voicing their solidarity. The discussion focused on the collaborations between artists of the two genres, and highlighted the ''Distant Relatives'' project.

Singles

The first single, " As We Enter", was released on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

on February 23, 2010. It has so far peaked at #10 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts and #41 on the iTunes Music charts. The single debuted at number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. "Strong Will Continue" is featured as soundtrack in

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) ...

game, '' 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa''. "My Generation" was released in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2010.

Critical reception

''Distant Relatives'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 73, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".''Distant Relatives'' Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More

. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's David Jeffries complimented its themes concerning Africa, calling it "one purposeful monster and a conceptional bull's eye that fully supports its title".Jeffries, David. Review: ''Distant Relatives''

. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Sputnikmusic's Ryan Flatley stated, "Nas and Damian Marley are a formidable pairing, seemingly on the same level throughout most of the album in thought and overall presence".Flatley, Ryan
Review: ''Distant Relatives''
Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2010-05-19. Dave Simpson of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described its music as "thoughtful, sincere, weighty stuff, tackling subjects from African poverty to the diamond trade without sounding preachy or schmaltzy".Simpson, Dave
Review: ''Distant Relatives''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Gervase de Wilde of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' called it "predictably brilliant". Although he found its musical fusion "a little overblown", David Amidon of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

felt that "the alchemy between Nas and Junior Gong’s voice is obvious and engenders a strong sense of unity".Amidon, David
Review: ''Distant Relatives''

. Retrieved on 2010-06-01. '' Mojo'' commented that the album "finds a glorious similitude between the two disciplines." ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

''s M.T. Richards called the album "a bright, richly cultured work" and praised its themes of humanity and humility, writing that it "shines with passion and zeal, both in its content and production, which oozes earthy warmth".Richards, M.T
Review: ''Distant Relatives''

. Retrieved on 2010-05-25. In ''

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

stated, "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".Christgau, Robert.
Consumer Guide: ''Distant Relatives''
.

: June 2010. In a mixed review, J. Gabriel Boylan of '' Spin'' felt that its "revelatory message blunted by digressions".Boylan, J. Gabriel
Review: ''Distant Relatives''
'' Spin''. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Sean Fennessey of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' found it to be "rudimentary" and "a tasteful affair full of uninteresting revelations and self-serious proclamations".Fennessey, Sean
Review: ''Distant Relatives''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-05-19. Jeff Weiss of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' commented that the album "vacillates between the dreary and dynamic", and criticized its "didacticism": " adened by reductive philosophies and crippling self-seriousness, the record often feels overly ponderous".Weiss, Jeff
Review: ''Distant Relatives''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

's Tom Breihan viewed the lyrics as trite and stated, "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".Breihan, Tom
Review: ''Distant Relatives''

. Retrieved on 2010-05-21. Nathan Rabin of '' The A.V. Club'' called it "an Afrocentric manifesto sometimes loaded down by the weight of its noble ambitions".Rabin, Nathan
Review: ''Distant Relatives''
'' The A.V. Club''. Retrieved on 2010-05-25.

Commercial performance

''Distant Relatives'' debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart with first-week sales of 57,000 copies.Caulfield, Keith
'Glee' Stops the Show at No. 1, Stones Come in Second On Billboard 200
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-05-26. It serves as Nas's tenth top-ten album and Marley's second top-ten album in the United States. The album also entered at number four on ''

''s Digital Albums,Digital Albums - Week of June 05, 2010
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. and at number one on its R&B/Hip-Hop Albums,R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Week of June 05, 2010
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. Rap Albums,Rap Albums - Week of June 05, 2010
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. and Reggae Albums charts.Reggae Albums - Week of June 05, 2010
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. As of June 2010, it has sold 134,000 copies in the United States. Internationally, ''Distant Relatives'' attained some chart success.Album Performance: ''Distant Relatives''
acharts. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. It entered at number 33 on the European Top 100 Albums chart.European Albums - Week of June 05, 2010
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 30 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

and at number four on the R&B Albums Chart.The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart - 23 May 2010

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

. Retrieved on 2010-05-27.UK Top 40 RnB Albums - 23 May 2010
BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. In Canada, the album entered at number 9 on the Top 100 Albums chart. In Germany, it debuted at number 38 on the

Media Control Charts The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

,Album Top 50 KW 20 - Gültig ab 28.05.2010
MTV. Retrieved on 2010-05-28. and in the Netherlands, the album debuted at number 72 and peaked at number 65 on the Mega Album Top 100.

Track listing

All tracks were produced by Damian Marley, except tracks 4, 9, and 11, which were produced by Stephen Marley. ; Sample credits * " As We Enter" contains samples of "Yegelle Tezeta" by

Mulatu Astatke Mulatu Astatke (; French pronunciation: Astatqé; born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger considered as the father of "Ethio-jazz". Born in Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he ...

. * "Tribes at War" contains a sample from "Tribal War" by Earl Lowe. * "Friends" contains a sample from "Undenge Uami" by David Zé. * "Land Of Promise" contains a sample from "Promised Land" by Dennis Brown. * "Nah Mean" contains a sample from "Kurikute" by Sara Chaves. * "Patience" contains a sample from "Sabali" by Amadou & Mariam from the album '' Welcome to Mali''. * "My Generation" contains a sample from "Generation" by Ziggy Marley.

Personnel

Credits for ''Distant Relatives'' adapted from

. Credits: ''Distant Relatives'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. * Luke Aiono – guitar * Rahsaan Alexander – background vocals * Chris Athens – mastering * Kreiger Bailey – background vocals * Amadou Bajayoko – composer * Miguel Bermudez – assistant * Chad Blaize – background vocals * Dennis Brown – composer, background vocals * Llamar "Riff Raff" Brown – keyboards * Ann Marie Calhoun – violin * Andrea Carter – guitar * James "Bonzai" Caruso – mixing * Jason Chantrelle – A&R * Daniel Chappell – brass * Squiddly Cole – percussion, drums, keyboards *

Shiah Coore Shiah Coore is a Jamaican musical artist and producer born in Kingston, Jamaica on 20 August 1979. Biography Shiah Coore, firstborn to musician Cat Coore (Third World) and artisan Donna Feltis-Coore (Ital Craft), was born in Kingston Jam ...

– bass, drums, background vocals, handclapping * Greg DePante – assistant * Courtney Diedrick – drums, handclapping * Sean Diedrick – keyboards * Mariam Doumbia – composer * Dwayne Carter – composer * Nabil Elderkin – photography * Paul Fakhourie – bass, keyboards * Andre "Illestr8" Forrest – background vocals, handclapping * Rovleta Fraser – background vocals * Nesta Garrick – art direction, design * Neville Garrick – photography, art consultant * Marcus Garvey – quotation author * Rannoy Gordon – guitar * Andrew Green – engineer * Tim Harkins – engineer * Phillip "Winta" James – keyboards, background vocals, handclapping * Sunday Agwaze Michaels – tumbadora "African conga" * Nasir Jones – composer, writer, rapper, executive producer, producer, background vocals * Keinan Warsame – composer * L.A.'s Best Sunny Brae Choir – background vocals * Marc Lee – engineer * Funji Legohn – brass * Casey Lewis – engineer * Damian Marley – composer, producer, programming, background vocals, handclapping, executive producer * Stephen Marley – guitar, composer, keyboards, programming, producer * George Massa – engineer * Christopher Merridith – bass, guitar, keyboards * Jah Amen Mobley – background vocals * Leon Mobley – percussion, background vocals * Vernon Mungo – engineer * Josh Newell – engineer * Bobby Newland – assistant * Steve Nowa – assistant * Oakwood School 5th Grade Choir – background vocals * Raymond Onyai – background vocals * George Pajon – guitar * Lisa Parade – director * Josef Powell – background vocals * José Quintero – assistant * Benjamin Reid – engineer, assistant * Mike Rowe – keyboards * James Rudder – assistant * Noelle Scaggs – background vocals * Miles Tackett – cello * Charles Wakeman – engineer, mixing, assistant * Oren Waters – background vocals * Will Wheaton – background vocals * Roselyn Williams – background vocals * Betty Wright – background vocals * Eric "Twizted" Young – assistant * Gabriel Zardes – A&R * Danny Zook – sample clearance * Corey Lloyd – sample clearance * Michael Hardin – sample clearance

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* *
Distant Relatives
' at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

*
Distant Relatives
' at

*
''Distant Relatives'' panel discussion
at ''

'' {{Authority control 2010 collaborative albums Damian Marley albums Def Jam Recordings albums Nas albums Republic Records albums