Nas Is Coming

Since the release of his seminal debut, Illmatic, back in 1994, this venerable hip-hop patriarch has been tussling with the inevitable stranglehold of critical expectation. Now with nine solo records to his name, Nas’ latest release in collaboration with Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley branches out into the distant kingdom of reggae, tracing the roots back, he tells us “to the African motherland that is both the cradle of humanity and the wellspring of mankind’s music.”

Having originally featured on Road To Zion, from Marley’s previous record Welcome To Jamrock, Nas reflects on the seedling that has sprouted into the pan-African concept behind Distant Relatives. “We’d been working and talking from time to time and the idea turned into an EP, and that EP turned into an LP, and it was a good time for me to explore.”

Having delved into a sound so distinct from his own, Nas seems unmoved by the prospect of daring out of his depths, yet discusses the project with humility. “I was just trying to find my place inside of what Damian was doing.” With sincere honesty, he continues: “And I didn’t do it, I couldn’t – I couldn’t really let it all the way out the way I needed to. I guess that’s the hard part, because I'm just trying to do something better than what I would normally do, to achieve something even greater lyrically.”

In light of the unusual nature of the partnership, Distant Relatives has garnered somewhat of a mixed reception. The contrast in characters is crudely exemplified on As We Enter, as Nas and Jr. Gong, each in turn, identify themselves: ‘And I got the guns / I got the ganja.’ Undeniably, Nas is more in his element spitting bars about the Queensbridge housing projects of New York City rather than the realm of Babylon or Zion. This begs the question: isn’t Nas just playing a bit-part role on a Rastafarian sermon?

Not really. Nas explains how formative reggae had been during his youth, listening to “the records that were popular in New York City, early 80s; Yellowman, some Dennis Brown, Shabba Ranks and Super Cat. I didn’t really know the artists’ names till I got around Damian, I’d say ‘who sang that?’ and he would tell me who was who.”

When asked how working with Damian compared to his numerous noteworthy collaborations of the past, Nas responds: “It’s a challenge, it’s not a competition. It’s a challenge to stand up and do what you do next to Damian.” He may have deviated into relatively unfamiliar territory, but owing to the versatility of his flow, Nas adeptly manoeuvres alongside the son of reggae royalty. Both artists are afforded the space to flaunt their talent, brilliantly bouncing off one another, finding their voice on broadened horizons.

Distant Relatives is a confluence of backgrounds, a bold aspiration to create a sound redolent of a shared identity. The duo approached the project with a view to thematic rather than stylistic consistency. Swahili patois and contributions from Somalian-born rapper K’naan, alongside samples from Ethiopian maestro Mulatu Astatke and Malian couple Amadou & Mariam, go some way to authenticate a record harking after African ancestry.

Yet despite perceived affiliations and impressive ambitions, Distant Relatives is a little lost in its socio-political impact. Whilst touching upon themes including corrupt leadership, extortion, inequity, blood diamonds and tribal wars, the sincerity of the intention is rather clouded by the mysticism, pharaohs and astronomers in the video for Patience. Undoubtedly the album’s most unsavoury and wide-eyed moment is My Generation, featuring a soppy Joss Stone, a children’s choir and some insipid bars from Lil Wayne.

Momentarily setting aside this sceptical outlook and scrutiny, admirers of Nas needn’t get overly disheartened by Distant Relatives. The album retains the requisite musical grit to balance out any perceived political hubris. Produced by the Marley brothers, the Rhythm Piranhas lay some redeeming fresh beats, whilst at times Nas’ lyricism recaptures the potency we’ve come to expect. ‘From the mouth I can spit out a razor,’ he vents on Nah Mean, a throwback to the intensity of his prime.

Currently taking Distant Relatives around the world, Nas seems in productive and prolific form: “What’s it like on the road? It’s a life. I have a studio on the tour bus, record there when I can, I have a microphone with me, I can get into a studio any country I roll into, so I still be writing and have music to work, I’ll still be working on my album even though I'm on tour.” The good news is that Nas doesn’t tend to take much time off. In fact there’s another LP in the working. With a release date due later this year, he lethargically explains: “when I'm not making music I'm relaxing, but then I get tired of relaxing so I need to get back to making music”.

With these words of encouragement, we eagerly await the exploits of hip-hop’s prodigal son. Having collaborated with the who’s who of the hip-hop community, Nas’ response is coy when asked whom he particularly rates and respects amongst his peers: “Who did I enjoy working with? I mean, I dunno, I enjoy working with me!”

Though fairly tight-lipped on forthcoming projects, Nas is more obliging on the subject of past collaborations – telling of an especially meaningful link-up with his father, Olu Dara, on Street’s Disciple. “He played the blues, he listened to the blues, he also listened to Jazz and Fela and so many different musics that was around there. It’s like life coming full circle, working with someone so influential to me, that is family, that’s my paps, it’s like I'm finally at the age where I can really combine with him, and that was one of the greatest achievements of my life.”

And just to close with a tantalising little taster, Nas said a few words on Dr Dre’s long-awaited upcoming record, Detox: “I recorded a track with Dre. Of course I would love it to [make the album], but there’s a great chance that it won’t, maybe ‘cause he’s a perfectionist, and perfectionists fine-tune the shit the way they want it. If it fits, it fits. I'm just a fan, just waiting to hear it regardless, I just can’t wait to throw it in the ride, turn it all the way up.”