Nas and Damian Marley - Distant Relatives

It’s been a freakishly good year for music this year, simply crazy. And every new month has brought out amazing release after amazing release. This Tuesday featured one of the better days with all of these albums coming out:

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
The Black Keys – Brothers
Jamie Lidell – Compass
Janelle Monáe – The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III of IV)
Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
The Depreciation Guild – Spirit Youth
Harvey Milk – A Small Turn of Human Kindness

Most of those, I can surely say are awesome, especially the first four albums I listed; with the LCD Soundsystem one growing on me more and more each day. And also, there is Nas and Damian Marley’s album, Distant Relatives. This last one wasn’t even an album on my radar until I was barely put onto it by some other people. I went out and picked out and really loved what I heard. The strong influence of Africa is on here, with everything from the culture, to the music, to the people referenced on here. The album’s tied in by a theme celebrating humanity and showcasing how we are all related. And each artist brings their A-game with a solid mix of hip-hop with a smooth Reggae touch and creativity to boost.

This first song off the album, “As We Enter,” features a sample of a song by the legendary Mulatu Astatke. Here is the original one by Astatke, “Yegelle Tezeta,” which is more than 30 years old! Check out the awesome sax sound and the major chops the player has:


Here is Nas and Marley’s song that features some of the rhythms and sounds of Astatke’s brilliant gem:


And here is another song off the album that is filled with jazz influences, R&B and a great message, “Count Your Blessings.” – Bryan. (P.S. This is our 50th post on this blog, woo-hoo!)