Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas are lighting up the US with a summer series of solo performances for their Distant Relatives tour, which also includes headliner performances with 2009 Rock the Bells. The tour supports their forthcoming reggae hip hop crossover album Distant Relatives. Distant Relatives blends Marley’s instrumentals and distinct vocals with the lyrical mastery and hip hop beats that fans have come to expect from Nas.

Production forDistant Relatives began in 2008, originally designed as a compilation of leftover tracks from the 2 artists previous albums, it was redesigned as a completely new, collaborative piece. Damian and Stephen Marley produced most of the tracks, with talk of additional production support being provided by Large Professor, The Alchemist, J. R. Rotem (who put pop dancehall star Sean Kingston on the radio and in everyone’s ear) and DJ Khalil.

The album’s themes focus on empowerment and African roots, as well as reminders of the daily struggle of many Africans with tracks like Count Your Blessings. Although the album was recorded with a live band, the final tracks include samples from African music as well. The proceeds from Distant Relatives will be donated to a project in Africa, with the possibility of building a school frequently mentioned. Additional tracks include Only The Strong and Africa Must Wake Up.

Check out the Distant Relatives MySpace page, where they’re sharing a 1-minute clip of As We Enter, the first single from Distant Relatives. Although Distant Relatives was originally scheduled for release in late June, it has since been pushed back to August 2009.

Damian Marley Distant Relatives tour dates

Damian Marley is continuing The Distant Relatives throughout the western US and Canada for a couple more weeks.

• July 30 at 8pm at REDWOOD ACRES FAIR in Eureka, California
• July 31 at 8pm at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon
• August 1 at 8pm at Deer Lake Park in Vancouver, British Columbia (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 2 at 8pm at Shaw Millenium Park in Calgary, Alberta (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 4-5 at 8pm at Belly Up Aspen in Aspen, Colorado
• August 6 at 8pm at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 8 at 8pm at San Manuel Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 9 at 8pm at Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Francisco, California (part of Rock the Bells)

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas will be joined on some tour dates by Chali 2na of Jurassic 5. You can get Distant Relative tour concert tickets and join the Distant Relatives mailing list at http://www.peopleproductions.net.

Videos of past Damian Marley performances with Nas

The response to Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives tour with Nas has been overwhelmingly positive, thanks to live reggae hip hop performances such as these:

Damian Marley and Nas Rock the Bells in Boston

July 18 Rock the Bells performance at the Comcast Center in Mansfield.

Damian Marley and Nas at Rock the Bells in New York

July 2009 performance by Damian Marley at Rock the Bells NY!

About Damian Marley and Nas

Grammy winner Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and legendary hiphop MC Nas first met in 1996, beginning a friendship that recently turned heads and stunned ears with 2005’s Road to Zion, the lead single from Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock album. The Distant Relatives album continues their collaborative relationship and promises more of the same seamless blending of hip hop and roots reggae.

Damian Marley video – Road to Zion featuring Nas

How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?

Nas started out as a solo artist, releasing his first album in 1994. In 1996 he joined The Firm, then returned to a solo career that earned him a place on MTV’s list of top 10 greatest MCs of all time. If you want to hear more Nas, we recommend starting with his Hip Hop is Dead album. To visit Nas on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/nas. Damian “Junior Gong” Marley is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Jamaica’s 1977 Miss World Cindy Breakspeare. To visit Damian Marley on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/damianmarley.

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