It’s not all that unusual for me to delve into areas of the musical landscape that aren’t nestled snuggly between the boundaries of country/folk/americana…ok, a little unusual, but not unheard of. That said, I do believe this is my first ever Hip-Hop post on this here Knob. The fact is, I have enjoyed a good bit of rap over the years; albums by The Roots, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I., among others, all have a place in my collection. An upcoming release that I found out about the other day while surfing the interwebs will certainly have a place along side the albums I mentioned previously.

In April we’ll see the release of Distant Relatives, the new collaborative effort from Damian Marley (of Jamrock fame) and Nasir Jones, better known to most of us as Nas. Both of these artists have a reputation for innovation and the couple of tracks I have heard show that neither sacrifices their own unique brand in the attempt to create a cohesive sound. Listen for yourself…

LISTEN: Damian Marley & Nasir Jones – “As We Enter”

Distant Relatives – Trailer

Distant Relatives | MySpace Music Videos