One of my all time favorite albums isn't what most people would expect. It's not rock, country, or even electronic. It's called Distant Relatives (explaining the title), combining efforts of hip-hop/rap superstar Nas and Reggae superstar and the youngest son of Reggae legend Bob Marley, Damian (Jr. Gong) Marley. At first, I thought that the two would never mesh or sound good whatsoever, but that is completely the opposite. Nas' slick and meaningful rhymes along with Damian's rugged and styled singing really makes for an amazing album. The two came together to make this album so that they could help earn money for school's in Africa, but in the words of allmusic.com "but before any corny "charity album" misconceptions get in the way, know that this is one purposeful monster and conceptional bull's eye that fully supports its title, (David Jeffries).
The album is a diverse mix of rap inspired songs like: "As We Enter," reggae inspired songs like: "Land of Promise," and a mix of both in songs like "Africa Must Wake Up." These also happen to be my three favorite songs on the CD. The album also samples elements of jazz, dancehall, and African music, making it even better.
Just for fun, here are two examples of what these artists do by themselves, here are two of my favorite songs from these men.
Nas: (explicit)
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley:
With the creation of this album, not only are they providing a great musical experience for their fans, but also helping aid the less fortunate, reaffirming their legend status in their own genres.
No comments:
Post a Comment