Distant Relatives

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."{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604589/20090209/nas.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211101202/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604589/20090209/nas.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 11, 2009|title=Nas Confirms Kelis' Pregnancy, Talks New Album|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=2009-02-09|work=MTV News|access-date=2009-04-08}} 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.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/268983/nas-damian-marley-prep-collaborative-album|title=Nas, Damian Marley Prep Collaborative Album|last=Concepcion|first=Mariel|date=2009-04-08|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|access-date=2009-04-09}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2009/04/08/nas-damian-marley-prep-joint-album/|title=Nas & Damian Marley Prep Joint Album|last=Cline|first=Georgette|work=Rap-Up|access-date=2009-04-29}} 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.{{cite magazine|url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/04/nas-damian-marl.html|title=Nas and Damian Marley on their 'Distant Relatives' collaboration|last=Vozick-Levinson|first=Simon|date=2009-04-22|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time|access-date=2009-04-29}}

Nas and Marley began recording in 2008; recording sessions took place in Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida. Marley and his brother, Stephen, produced the majority of the album, using live instrumentation in the recording process. They collaborated with guest artists, including Stephen Marley, Joss Stone, Lil Wayne, and K'naan.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/268177/nas-damian-marley-preview-album-collaboration-on-rock-the-bells-tour|title=Nas, Damian Marley Preview Album Collaboration On Rock The Bells Tour|last=Graff|first=Gary|date=2009-07-08|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|access-date=2009-07-08}} On the album's production, Marley told Rolling Stone, "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."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/26796184/spring_music_preview_june|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323160829/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/26796184/spring_music_preview_june|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 23, 2009|title=Spring Music Preview: June|date=2009-03-20|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media|access-date=2009-04-08}}

Fusing hip hop and reggae 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,{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=131&csid2=844&fid1=37732|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708190851/http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=131&csid2=844&fid1=37732|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-08|title=Nas and Damian Marley Become Distant Relatives, Join Rock the Bells Tour|last=Thiessen|first=Brock|date=2009-04-08|work=Exclaim!|access-date=2009-04-29}} with social commentary of the United States and Africa.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/nas/news/112307-nas-announces-damian-marley-album|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411125638/http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/nas/news/112307-nas-announces-damian-marley-album|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2009|title=Nas Announces Damian Marley Album|date=2009-04-08|work=MTV One|access-date=2009-04-29}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1608773/20090407/id_3108857.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411085046/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1608773/20090407/id_3108857.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2009|title=Nas And Damian Marley Team Up For Rock The Bells Tour, Joint Album|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=2009-04-07|work=MTV News|access-date=2009-04-29}} The track "Count Your Blessings" reflects on the plight of Africa.

File:Nas and Damian Marley performing in Wellington Photo By Brady Dyer.jpg

The album was released May 18, 2010 on Universal Republic and Def Jam Recordings.{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10839/title.damian-marley-speaks-about-lil-waynes-distant-relatives-feature|title=Damian Marley speaks|last=Marley|first=Damian|date=2010-02-18|work=Reggaeville|access-date=2010-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317184417/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10839/title.damian-marley-speaks-about-lil-waynes-distant-relatives-feature|archive-date=2010-03-17|url-status=dead}} Its proceeds will go to a project in Africa, with the possibility of building a school in Congo.

At a sold-out panel discussion on the African diaspora and its relation to music, sponsored by National Geographic, 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.The Source, [http://www.thesource.com/2009/12/nas-and-damian-marley-distant-relatives-coming-in-2010/ Nas and Damian Marley Distant Relatives Coming in 2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528063944/http://www.thesource.com/2009/12/nas-and-damian-marley-distant-relatives-coming-in-2010 |date=2010-05-28 }}, TheSource.com, 14 December 2009. Accessed 6 January 2010.

The first single, "As We Enter", was released on iTunes on February 23, 2010.[http://www.rap-up.com/2010/02/11/single-cover-nas-damian-jr-gong-marley-as-we-enter/ Single Cover: Nas & Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley – ‘As We Enter’.] Rap-Up. 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.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100528060202/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles/ The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart - 23 May 2010]. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. "Strong Will Continue" is featured as soundtrack in EA Sports game, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. "My Generation" was released in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2010.

{{Music ratings

| MC = 73/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/distant-relatives/nas-and-damian-marley/critic-reviews|title=Distant Relatives by Nas And Damian Marley|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=December 29, 2009}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2Score = B

| rev3 = The Daily Telegraph

| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|last=de Wilde|first=Gervase|date=May 14, 2010|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/7725791/Nas-and-Damian-Marley-Distant-Relatives-CD-review.html|title=Nas and Damian Marley: Distant Relatives, CD review|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=December 15, 2012}}

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Review: Distant Relatives|journal=Mojo|location=London|date=July 2010|page=92}}

| rev6 = MSN Music (Consumer Guide)

| rev6Score = A−

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7Score = 6.1/10

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8Score = {{Rating|3|5}}Hoard, Christian. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/distant-relatives-20100517 Review: Distant Relatives]. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.

| rev9 = Slant Magazine

| rev9Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10Score = 6/10

}}

Distant Relatives received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[http://www.metacritic.com/music/distant-relatives/nas-and-damian-marley Distant Relatives Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More]. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Allmusic'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. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1738526|pure_url=yes}} Review: Distant Relatives]. Allmusic. 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. [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=36908 Review: Distant Relatives]. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2010-05-19. Dave Simpson of The Guardian described its music as "thoughtful, sincere, weighty stuff, tackling subjects from African poverty to the diamond trade without sounding preachy or schmaltzy".Simpson, Dave. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/13/nas-damian-marley-distant-relatives-cd-review Review: Distant Relatives]. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Gervase de Wilde of The Daily Telegraph called it "predictably brilliant".

Although he found its musical fusion "a little overblown", David Amidon of PopMatters felt that "the alchemy between Nas and Junior Gong’s voice is obvious and engenders a strong sense of unity".Amidon, David. [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/125979-nas-damian-marley-distant-relatives Review: Distant Relatives]. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-06-01. Mojo commented that the album "finds a glorious similitude between the two disciplines." Slant Magazine{{'}}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. [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/nas-and-damian-marley-distant-relatives/2122 Review: Distant Relatives]. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-05-25. In MSN Music, Robert Christgau 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. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090705184331/http://music.msn.com/music/consumerguide/?photoidx=5 Consumer Guide: Distant Relatives]". MSN Music: June 2010.

In a mixed review, J. Gabriel Boylan of Spin felt that its "revelatory message blunted by digressions".Boylan, J. Gabriel. [http://www.spin.com/reviews/nas-damian-jr-gong-marley-distant-relatives-universal-republic Review: Distant Relatives]. Spin. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice found it to be "rudimentary" and "a tasteful affair full of uninteresting revelations and self-serious proclamations".Fennessey, Sean. [http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-05-18/music/back-to-africa-with-nas-and-damian-marley Review: Distant Relatives]. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-05-19. Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times commented that the album "vacillates between the dreary and dynamic", and criticized its "didacticism": "[L]eadened by reductive philosophies and crippling self-seriousness, the record often feels overly ponderous".Weiss, Jeff. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/05/album-review-nas-and-damian-marleys-distant-relatives.html Review: Distant Relatives]. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Pitchfork Media'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. [http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14265-distant-relatives/ Review: Distant Relatives]. Pitchfork Media. 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. [https://www.avclub.com/nas-and-damian-marley-distant-relatives-1798165027 Review: Distant Relatives]. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-05-25.

Distant Relatives debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 57,000 copies.Caulfield, Keith. [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/958034/glee-stops-the-show-at-no-1-stones-come-in-second-on-billboard-200 'Glee' Stops the Show at No. 1, Stones Come in Second On Billboard 200]. Billboard. 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 Billboard{{'}}s Digital Albums,[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-06-05/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,[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-06-05/r-b-hip-hop-albums R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Week of June 05, 2010]. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. Rap Albums,[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-06-05/rap-albums Rap Albums - Week of June 05, 2010]. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. and Reggae Albums charts.[http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-06-05/reggae-albums 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.{{cite web|title=Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/27/2010|date=30 June 2010 |url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.11599/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-6272010|publisher=Hip hop DX|access-date=July 26, 2016}}

Internationally, Distant Relatives attained some chart success.{{cite web|title=Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/20249/Nas-&-Damian-Marley-Distant-Relatives|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=May 27, 2010}}[http://acharts.us/album/55241 Album Performance: Distant Relatives]. acharts. Retrieved on 2010-05-27. It entered at number 33 on the European Top 100 Albums chart.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110122103501/http://www.billboard.com/charts/reggae-albums?chartDate=2010-06-05 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 and at number four on the R&B Albums Chart.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100528174139/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums/ The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart - 23 May 2010]. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-05-27.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100723181421/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/rnbalbums 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.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-06-05/canadian-albums|title=Canadian Albums: Top Albums Chart - Billboard|magazine=Billboard}} In Germany, it debuted at number 38 on the Media Control Charts,[https://web.archive.org/web/20100228175846/http://www.mtv.de/charts/album50 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.

All tracks were produced by Damian Marley, except tracks 4, 9, and 11, which were produced by Stephen Marley.

{{track listing

| total_length = 57:13

| title1 = As We Enter

| writer1 = {{hlist|Nasir Jones|Damian Marley|Mulatu Astatke}}

| length1 = 2:58

| title2 = Tribes at War

| note2 = featuring K'naan

| writer2 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley|Keinan Warsame}}

| length2 = 4:30

| title3 = Strong Will Continue

| writer3 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley}}

| length3 = 6:02

| title4 = Leaders

| note4 = featuring Stephen Marley

| writer4 = {{hlist|Jones|D. Marley|S. Marley}}

| length4 = 4:20

| title5 = Friends

| writer5 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley}}

| length5 = 4:49

| title6 = Count Your Blessings

| writer6 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley}}

| length6 = 4:24

| title7 = Dispear

| writer7 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley}}

| length7 = 5:53

| title8 = Land of Promise

| note8 = featuring Dennis Brown

| writer8 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley|Dennis Brown}}

| length8 = 4:00

| title9 = In His Own Words

| note9 = featuring Stephen Marley

| writer9 = {{hlist|Jones|D. Marley|S. Marley}}

| length9 = 5:00

| title10 = Nah Mean

| writer10 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley}}

| length10 = 4:09

| title11 = Patience

| writer11 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley|Amadou Bajayoko, Mariam Doumbia}}

| length11 = 5:46

| title12 = My Generation

| note12 = featuring Joss Stone & Lil Wayne

| writer12 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley|Dwayne Carter, Jr.}}

| length12 = 4:02

| title13 = Africa Must Wake Up

| note13 = featuring K'naan

| writer13 = {{hlist|Jones|Marley|Warsame}}

| length13 = 6:41

}}

{{track listing

| total_length = 61:48

| headline = LP/iTunes bonus track

| title14 = Ancient People

| note14 = featuring Junior Reid

| writer14 = {{hlist|Nasir Jones|Damian Marley|Junior Reid}}

| length14 = 4:35

}}

; Sample creditsTrack listing and liner notes per Distant Relatives album

• "As We Enter" contains samples of "Yegelle Tezeta" by Mulatu Astatke.
• "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.

Credits for Distant Relatives adapted from Allmusic.[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1738526/credits|pure_url=yes}} Credits: Distant Relatives]. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• 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 – 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

{{col-2}}

• 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

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for Distant Relatives}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Nas & Damian Marley|title=Distant Relatives|type=album|award=Silver|relyear=2010|certyear=2016|id=13593-4131-2|access-date=18 December 2022}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|noshipments=true|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.distantrelatives.com/}}
• [http://www.discogs.com/Nas-Damian-Marley-Distant-Relatives/master/263591 Distant Relatives] at Discogs
• [http://www.metacritic.com/music/distant-relatives Distant Relatives] at Metacritic
• {{YouTube|0CiIWpsdkdM|Electronic press kit}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120229140720/http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/distant_relatives_webcast/en_US%3Bjsessionid%3D6EB925752B67B25E692CF21BAE2D83F5 Distant Relatives panel discussion] at National Geographic

{{Nas}}

{{Damian Marley}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2010 collaborative albums

Category:Damian Marley albums

Category:Def Jam Recordings albums

Category:Nas albums

Category:Republic Records albums