Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s Distant Relatives Tour will be stopping in Charlottesville on August 28th performing their newest album Distant Relatives. This collaborative studio album by American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley was released May 18, 2010

Featuring the signature instrumentation and musicianship of Damian with the hard-hitting beats and lyrics of Nas, the album title, Distant Relatives, refers not only to the bond between the artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically.

Nas and Damian trace hip-hop’s roots to Africa, where the genre originated as a vital form of cultural expression and was then transported by the slave trade to the Caribbean and the American colonies. It blossomed a half century ago in the dance halls of Kingston, Jamaica, and soon migrated to the park jams and recreational centers of New York City, where the culture became known as hip-hop. This evolution forms the basis of the Distant Relatives project.

The partnership between the two artists is sure to amaze with an album encompassing 14 tracks including the highly buzzed about first singles "As We Enter" and "Strong Will Continue”. Distant Relatives was produced by Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and also features several guest appearances including Lil Wayne, who appears on the track "Generation," K’NAAN on “Africa Must Wake Up” and Tribal War,” and Stephen Marley on “Leaders” and “In His Own Words.”