The phrase ‘distant relatives’ is often shudder-inducing, invoking memories of visiting your uncle in Des Moines, Iowa (a city that curiously bills itself as the Hartford of the Midwest, in case anyone is interested) who thinks that hunting trophies are tactful living room décor and always insists on showing you the same photo album of his high school football glory days that you’ve been forced to feign interest in a hundred times. But now there are some ‘Distant Relatives’ that we actually can’t wait to see: Nas and Damian Marley have announced that they are working on a collaborative album that goes by that name - which will hopefully be out this summer! Allhiphop.com reports that the album’s title “refers to Nas and Marley’s chemistry, but also pays homage to their African ancestry.”

Rumors about this album have been circulating for a while, but Nas and Marley had both been quiet on the subject. Now that they’ve spoken about it, it looks increasingly likely that this project will see the light of day. Nas spoke with Allhiphop.com about the album’s focus, telling them that “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. So obviously if we making records with that theme, there’s gonna be things I want to build on. I think Africa has a lot to teach us.”

Similarly, Damian Marley stated that, “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. We know that there are dire situations here in America, but when you look at America- with public libraries and free education- these are not opportunities most Africans have. It’s a completely different scale of trying to help people. As human beings, we’re part of a human family.”

Nas always seems to be at his best when he’s talking about hard-hitting political and social issues, and Damian Marley is always on point, so this album looks very promising. Nas has worked with Bob Marley’s son once before, way back in the day on Damian Marley’s 1996 hit ‘Road to Zion.’ I’m really looking forward to this album and I think it will be one of the musical highlights of the summer, if not the year.