Distant Relatives - Hip Hop and Reggae

Despite his money and marital troubles, Nasir Jones (NAS) remains one of my favorite hip hop emcees.  When I first heard that Nas was collaborated with reggae music artist, Damian Marley, on an album called "Distant Cousins", I did not know what to think about project.

I was a huge fan of the "Untitled" album, so I was a little nervous.  Nas is a brilliant, introspective, highly creative music artist, but he is also terribly inconsistent (in my opinion) with his album releases.  But, I thought "Distant Cousins" was a great concept because of the relationship that hip hop and reggae (I also include dancehall with reggae) have shared. 

Kool Herc, who many consider the godfather of hip hop, moved to the Bronx from Jamaica and brought his knowledge of soundsystems (music played through large speakers) to the United States and began deejaying parties.  He decided to extend the breakbeat section of songs (instrumental part of a song when people "get down") by using two turntables, to give dancers a longer period of time to show their moves.  Also, I also thought about the many of the "old school" hip hop artists like Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One, Shinehead, and Busta Rhymes (he is not old school but...anyways) who have infused reggae/dancehall musical influences into their songs.  Hip hop and reggae are still being mixed together by music artists.  Of the many versions of Jay-Z's "Black Album" adaptations, the "Red, Green, and Yellow's album (a mix of classic reggae/dancehall classics of Jay's lyrics) is my favorite.  I really think hip hop and reggae are first cousins instead of distant cousins.  I feel that without reggae, there would be no hip hop.

"Distant Cousins" will not dissappoint.  I am listening to the album now as I write this post and I guarantee that if you are fan of East Coast hip hop you will enjoy it!  A couple of standout songs are "Land of Promise", "Count Your Blessings", "Leaders", and "Friends". If you do not listen to much reggae, I urge you to be curious and give it a try.  With so many cookie cutter music artists and songs released during the past couple of years it is refreshing when an established artist is willing to risk album sales to produce good music.