Distant Relatives

Distant Relatives is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae vocalist Damian Marley. It was released on May 18, 2010, by Universal Republic, Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. The album is Nas' tenth (third for Def Jam) and Marley's fourth studio album, respectively. 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. Fusing musical elements of hip hop and reggae, it features wide-ranging lyrical themes concerning colonialism, poverty, Pan-Africanism and the universality of the human condition. It features appearances from K’naan, Stephen Marley, Dennis Brown, Junior Reid, Joss Stone and Lil Wayne. 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.