In what may be the most unique collaboration of the year – Jack White & Thom Yorke: A Collaboration for the Ages doesn’t count because, well, nothing has happened yet – hip-hopper Nas and reggae artist/producer Damian “Jr Gong” Marley have announced plans for a pretty extensive collaborative relationship.
The fun will kick off in late June when the duo will release a brand new studio album, aptly entitled Distant Relatives. According to Billboard.com, the effort was inspired by both musicians’ “shared African ancestry,” a topic which will serve as the main theme through out the album.
“Africa is the backbone of the world and the foundation of everything and Africans are in a situation where they need help more than anywhere else,” Damian Marley said in a statement.
“As an American, we have so much even in a so-called recession that a neighborhood like Queensbridge or Red Hook is Beverly Hills compared to the way people are living in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana,” added Nas. “So obviously if we making records with that theme, there’s going to be things I want to build on. I think Africa has a lot to teach us.”
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The release will be supported by an international tour, which will include dates on this year’s Rock the Bells summer tour, along with appearances at both Camp Bisco 8 and the Rothbury Music Festival.
The collaboration won’t mark the first time the two high-profile musicians have teamed up however; the two first join forces on a track titled “Road To Zion” on Marley’s 2005 album Welcome to Jamrock.