'The Warehouse': A Review of "Atypique" by X-Man

Although a few relatively recent conversations I’ve been apart of with a few people whose opinions I respect relatively well might lead one to think otherwise - As long as there’re Jamaican people in Jamaica, there will always be a warehouse, of sorts, of aspiring Reggae and Dancehall artists. The music can (and will) change as much as it can (and will), but neither we nor even our most descending of descendants are likely to ever experience a shortage of Reggae artists in Jamaica. However, if it that were the case (and it weren’t), there are still more than a few very RIPE and consistently producing areas of the world we could look at for future stars. Of course we’ve been through these very healthy European ports such as the UK, Germany and now the Netherlands, but here, we’re going to specifically focus on an unfortunately unwatched (in the prevailing sense) area of the world . . . The French Caribbean. Specifically, we’re going to be headed to an area to which my readers have become more and more accustomed, Martinique. Just last year we dealt with two MAJOR big deals coming from the island in the form of albums from the Lieutenant [”Dancehall Anarchy”] and Kalash [”Kalash“] (and E.Sy Kennenga) (and Yeahman‘C). This follows a year in 2009 which saw releases from both Achis Reggae favourite, Saël [”Témoignage“], and the very impressive Blenda [”Operationnel”] and who knows who else. Martinique Reggae and Dancehall had been on absolute roll leading into the year and, to my opinion, it is to no coincidence at all that the rise of the island’s vibes has run concurrently with a re-rising of Reggae, in general, from out of the (French-speaking) FWI. On the broad level, so many of the French stars and biggest names, such as Admiral T, Krys, Saïk and Tiwony, are from out of Guadeloupe, but for the heavy fans, such as you and me, going just a step beyond reveals some absolutely SHINING artists. With that being said, releases in 2011 have ALREADY been a big deal with one of the biggest names Madinina has to offer, Paille, delivering his expectedly exciting sophomore set, ”Inflammable”, earlier this year. Also, not to be overlooked, was ”Ouvrir Les Portes”, the recent first album in eight years from respected veteran, [Sista] Majesty and were that not enough (it were), also set to release later this year is another of the island’s most popular DJ’s, the always interesting (and agitated) (hopefully), Mighty Ki La. And all of that comes with me not even paying the best of attention, so obviously they’ve all been REALLY big deals there and now we welcome one more to the flock as one of the most talked about young DJ’s from Martinique makes his own debut with ”Atypique”.

X-Man

As I’ve mentioned in the past a bit, Dancehall music, generally, from out of the area is much more varied and less ‘rigid’ than is the case in Gwada. And, as an example of that, we get people like Paille and Mighty Ki La who stretch the more traditional boundaries of Dancehall music (I said “stretch” not ‘redefine‘) (biggup authentic Dancehall music) and incorporate a great deal of intensity and musical ‘pyrotechnics’. This music, itself, is very ‘atypique’ and everyone of note has added his/her own brand of aesthetics to the scene. Here we meet the young X-Man who has done the same and he’s done so to the degree of creating quite a stir for himself across the past few years and, clearly, making the demand so great for a debut album that - Here it is.

The first time I heard of X-Man was maybe two or three years ago and it’ll show you what ‘wrinkle’ it is that he brings to the game because I fully thought him to be a Hip-Hop artist. Further efforts would reveal him to be an artist who combines Hip-Hop to his base, which is very much firmly rooted in the Dancehall. That’s not my favourite thing in the world, obviously, and typically I’d ignore such an artist even when there is such a great deal amount of hype surrounding them, but I didn’t do that here. Why? Because when I heard X-Man, I also heard a great deal of natural talent and while I don’t necessary enjoy Hip-Hop, I LOVE natural talent (like oxygen) and for me, the hope going into ”Atypique” was that X-Man could create some type of vibes where he could mix in the Hip-Hop, but not to the distraction of, or the detraction of, displaying his gifts as a Dancehall artist. He was successful in part. A quality which I was dumb to overlook, going backwards, is that normally these albums from out of Martinique, whether or not they’re any good not withstanding (and most are), they’re usually very FUN and this project proved to be no exception to that. So while we do learn a great deal about the artist, going through, we also learn that he likes to have a good time (as if that were under any question following the downright pornish video for ‘Piscine Party’ from a couple of years back) and that is a QUALITY which resonates throughout his music, even when he’s trying to be serious. And, as I tried to stress, that’s definitely a quality which can make your music even better - When you make music like it is an act which you really enjoy - just ask Paille. So while this one surely won’t make any personal “best of” list for me and it actually shows itself to be pretty much exactly what I was expecting, that’s not a problem because the X-Man (cool name) keeps the entertainment level throughout and, at times, puts on FULL and VIBRANT display the significant amount of talent that I heard from him going in.

Suns Music

The first thing that I noticed in regards to the behind-the-scenes issues on this album was the fact that it doesn’t come through the FWI’s biggest label, Don’s Music. The same stop which delivered sets from the aforementioned Lieutenant, Saël and Paille (as well as Mali, who is a Hip-Hop artist), would have, ostensibly, seemed like an definite fit for X-Man, but instead, he does his business with the previously unknown (at least to me) Suns Music (and doing subsequent research on them, it appears as if he is their very first signed performer). So, if big things await the X-Man (and they do) he’ll likely be doing it under their wing and keep an eye out for their future signees as well. First, however, they have to prove that they can do the job with X-Man’s debut album, ”Atypique” which gets going with a hilarious Intro track, which finds our star going through various forms of music before settling on a favourite (and we get a ‘cameo’ from what I’m sure is one of the old Main Street riddims whose name, most unfortunately and frustratingly, I can’t recall) and delving into the first actual song on the album (although he does give a ‘demo’ later in the intro), the ICE-COLD autobiographical ‘9 Novembre 1984’. Surely you’ll realize the title is the DJ’s date of birth and he backs it up with a POUNDING tune which marks not only his arrival on the planet, but his journey from his origins to your ears and mine. The tune is just so dark and has a bit of a grimy Dancehall appeal to it which works crazy with me because I’m damn close to reconsidering my choice of the album’s finest effort. BIG BIG start. Things loosen up just a bit on the dance floor aimed next track, ‘Elle Est Lá’. This tune is pretty unremarkable, save for the fact that the greatest of luck be with you in prying it and its melodious chorus from your brain LONG after the tune has ended. ‘Imaginé’ presents us (me) with the very first musical ‘dilemma’ on ”Atypique” as it is, for the most part, a fairly straight forward Hip-Hop tune and that means that I’m not very fond of it - Right? Wrong. Besides being a Hip-Hop song, it’s also probably the single best song, lyrically, on the whole of the album, a fact which distracts me from the notion that I may not be too fond of the music (although it isn’t too bad in this case) or the pacing of the tune. Definitely pay a keen amount of attention on this one.

'Abondamment'

Going through the tracklist for this album, I was somewhat surprised to find that I was actually familiar with THREE of the fourteen tracks on the album already, going in. Perhaps credit goes to Suns Music in that instance for keeping X-Man’s name about and his releases in a nice rotation that I’d, as I said, pay not the greatest of attention and still be familiar with his work (despite not actually knowing it was his work at the time, perhaps). The first tune here which I knew previously is probably the album’s biggest hit to date, the electrically infectious ‘Abondamment’. This tune has been doing a damage recently and is likely to be the X-Man’s most recognizable effort to date, as well as for the foreseeable future. It’s not my favourite here, but it isn’t far from it and for as catchy as it really it is, it’s no surprise to see it catch on as much as it has. The album’s closer, ‘Madinina Kuduro’ was also a song which I knew and some research reveals it to be older than I thought it was, but here it is, enjoying its second wind for your listening pleasure. The piece, ultimately, is TOO MUCH for me, in a very Euro-clubbish kind of way, but it certainly isn’t a horrible song, although clearly one with a purpose to entertain . . . And then entertain some more (an idea furthered along by the fact that the final forty-five seconds or so of the song has no vocals at all). And finally and most curiously, there was a song here which, as soon as I began playing it, I started to sing a long with it - the ridiculous (and I mean that in a good way) ‘Soirée Arrosée’ - And I had no idea where I might’ve known it from. As it turns out, the song is one of the older offerings on ”Atypique” and apparently caught fire about a year ago, which is undoubtedly where I picked it up. It IS one of the best songs on the album, to no surprise and for X-Man’s hardcore fans it’s a big deal. I’m not a hardcore fan of his by any means, but it’s STILL a pretty big deal for me.

'Madinina Kuduro'

Definitely if you know my work, you can rather quickly and simply predict what my favourite tune on this would be and be accurate in doing so in fairly short order. As he has done in the past for many a young artist, the incomparable Admiral T lends a helping hand to the X-Man on his debut album with guesting on a tune, ‘Dancehall Feeling’. On so many other levels I could lift a next song above this one for various reasons, but this one grabs me with an intense sonic appeal - I could listen Admiral T rhyme all day and night and when you take that vibes set and mix it with X-Man, who definitely holds his own without having to rely on any type of gimmick or trickery - I’m HOOKED and this is the best song on this album. The Admiral isn’t the only guest stopping by on X-Man’s album. He’s also joined by star Zoukie, Teeyah. I should probably be a bigger fan of Teeyah’s than I am, given her sweet and STERLING style is generally what I go for in Zouk, but I honestly haven’t followed her as closely as I wish. Perhaps her offering her on ‘Déchirure’ will point me in the proper direction. I hate to say this but I actually think it may’ve been even stronger sans X-Man (who goes with a flow which, with its kind of ‘hitch’ is more rapping than it is deejaying, which is what I’m used to (and like) over Zouk riddims). Again, I wouldn’t go as far as to call this one BAD by any means, but for me it serves greatest as a showcase (another one) for Teeyah. And the X-Man also teams up with the very familiar Elegant (yes, the one you’re thinking of) for the agitated ‘Clap It’, which sounds exactly how you might expect it to, but it isn’t bad and the wordplay, on both sides, is impressive. Also impressive is the chorus which just seems to JUMP out of nowhere in a very LOUD way - a good thing, when you consider that it is one of the better hooks on the album.

'Dancehall Feeling' w/Admiral T

The balancing four selections of ”Atypique” all have things which make them stand out and for various reasons. ‘Mon Antillaise’ was NOTHING like what I was expecting it would be, because it is a Hip-Hop track and not one which I’m too fond of (although big respect goes to the nameless backing singer). And both ‘Nou Kay En Drive’ and ‘Pa Fé Yo Sa X’ sound like I know them from somewhere, but that may have something to do with the fact that they kind of sound like one another. Both are excellent, but the latter, with its intoxicating riddim, is a SPECIAL tune and if you wanted to deem it THE single best song here, you’d get no big arguments out of me. Finally is ‘Coup De Foudre’, which I paid a great deal of attention to because it features a slightly ‘warmed up’ version of my favourite Dancehall riddim of 2010, Ward 21’s Cosa Nostra. I have NO idea how that link would’ve come to be and how it all may’ve worked out, but we can very safely say that, at the very least, X-Man (or his manager), has VERY good taste which is evident not only by the selection of this particular riddim, but by the standard maintain throughout his debut album.

Overall, even though it may not be as much straight Hip-Hop as I made it seem initially, I can confidently say that if you enjoy that genre of music more than I do (and you probably do), ”Atypique” will be even better to you and that’s saying something, because I like it as well. Besides the compositions, X-Man also demonstrates a great deal of the pacing and cadences which are more closely associated with and found in Hip-Hop music and French Hip-Hop, even less than English Hip-Hop, has always sounded somewhat ‘choppy’ (I believe I described it as a “hitch” earlier) to my ears. HOWEVER, with that being said, what I do WELL enjoy on this album and from the X-Man, in general, is the same thing I mentioned previously - His natural talent. X-Man has potential to spare and I’d REALLY like to see him focus more and streamline his style into the Dancehall because, like many of his peers, I feel that he has the potential to the proverbial ‘next step’ and become an even bigger star than now. If he does or not remains to be seen, but the one sure thing is that, in either case, I’ll be listening and you will too.

Rated: 3.5/5
Suns Music
2011
CD + Digital
X-Man
X-Man @ Facebook

"Collision": A Review of Distant Relatives by Nas & Damian Marley

Seemingly from ever since the beginning of both art forms, there has been a concerted effort to combine Dancehall and Hip-Hop. As the story goes, there were several individuals (like DJ Kool Herc) who were Jamaican and Caribbean who helped give birth to Hip-Hop, largely by taking from what they had at home, in terms of Dancehall culture and tangible Dancehall fixtures and staples (like the Sound System) and applying it to an American (and particularly New York) audience and pool of artists. And besides that, you’ll always hear about the connection of the ‘typical’ groups of individuals who tend to veer towards the music (although I think this has effectively changed due to the MASSIVE globalization of Hip-Hop in particular) in both cases, being from the ghetto and seeking away out and a mental escape as well from their troubles. With the various similarities between the two genres, of course the effort would go in the direction of combining the two in a manner where it would be most commercially successful and we’ve seen that in many ways through the years. The most notable until now, perhaps, was a compilation by the name of Def Jamaica, back in 2003. That very interesting release featured some of the biggest names in the Hip-Hop arena (such as Jay-Z, Cam’Ron and even Scarface), alongside some of the biggest names from the Dancehall and Reggae world (like Beenie Man, Buju Banton and even the Marley Bros.). While better than expected, I don’t think that release as very successful in terms of sales (as evident by the fact that it was nearly seven years ago and . . . Def Jamaican Vol. 2???) and thus it wasn’t the ‘be all, end all’ release for combining the two genres that it may’ve been thought to be. And there’re also ARTISTS like Foxy Brown, Wyclef Jean and others who’ve rather consistently made themselves visible on both sides and, even on the biggest stages of their careers, they’ve sought to incorporate the music of their Caribbean heritages. Still, I can’t think of anything and certainly not anything recently, done to the magnitude of this particular release. Not only that, but taken in the respect of what it actually is (technically speaking, there is no actual Dancehall involved), I’m pretty damn sure there’s NEVER been something like this release which incorporates two bonafide superstars in their respective genres, in (or relatively close to) their respective primes. Such a thing, merely on paper, could potentially be a landmark release.

And perhaps you can tell that it might be a landmark release based on the fact that when longtime Hip-Hop superstar Nas and son of the King and a bonafide Reggae superstar in Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley linked up to make Distant Relatives, it seemed as if the ‘communities’ of both genres (and beyond) took CONSIDERABLE notice. To say it flat out - I don’t know if we’ve seen a more discussed Reggae-ish album release in . . . a few decades and with the type of communication we have these days, you could very well make the case that it’s one of the most anticipated releases of Reggae-ish music EVER. And you know what? It’s all deserved. Of course I don’t know much about Hip-Hop, but Nas is certainly one of the most respected masters of the craft and although Jr. Gong typically flows just outside of the ‘typical’ channels within Reggae (for obvious reasons), he ranks just as highly in the same category in his genre of music as well and of course, like I said, they’re both SUPERSTARS at what they do. Also, the duo gave a bit of a preview in the form of ‘Road To Zion’, a very well received tune from Gong’s most recent (Grammy winning) studio album from 2005, Welcome To Jamrock. That album was also instrumental in introducing Nesta’s youngest son to the Hip-Hop world as the title track played (and continues to) nonstop on avenues where Hip-Hop was the dominant sound. Damian Marley currently (and ESPECIALLY now) enjoys a very uplifted status in that world and one could make the case that, despite the inherent popularity of his name, his name is arguably a household one in the Hip-Hop world. As for Nas, while he hasn’t quite endeared himself to the Reggae world tangibly (apart from ’Road To Zion’), he is definitely regarded as one of the greatest practitioners of Hip-Hop in the world today, which alone makes him one of the most popular musicians alive, also for the way in which Nas is regarded - Being a DOMINANT lyricist (he actually pushed the last pure Hip-Hop tune that I actually liked, ‘One Mic’ many moons ago) and one who often goes on more conscious topics than many of his peers, it’s certainly something which would appeal to hardcore Reggae heads like you and I. The album also has obvious Afrikan ties and reportedly some of the proceeds it generates will go to do works in the continent as well. So! The only remaining question is whether or not the music is good - Well . . . The most interesting thing here, going in, would definitely be the actual musical direction of Distant Relatives. You could’ve probably gotten ANY producer in either Reggae/Dancehall or Hip-Hop to produce the album, but production works mainly go to the Marley Bros. and reportedly there was a large deal of live instrumentation implemented as well. However, before you think that they ultimately sent up a line of one-drops for Nas and Jr. Gong to voice over, you might not want to go quite that far just yet as the ‘riddims’, for the most part, seem to kind of drift between the two genres and actually, by its end, I think it actually favours Nas more and, in general, I think the album has been ‘aimed’ more at fans of Hip-Hop. I’ve enjoyed doing the research for it as I’ve had to go on a lot of the Hip-Hop sites, which I almost never do, and so far they’ve been reviewing it VERY strong (allhiphop.com actually gave it a perfect score apparently) and I think that’s ultimately where the album will make its greatest impact. As for Reggae heads like you and me, however, it remains to be seen and heard - So let’s see and hear!

I thought that the title of the album was absolutely outstanding. Given the aforementioned related backgrounds of the two genres, as well as the Afrikan ties of the album, you REALLY come up with something wonderful when you give it the title Distant Relatives and the music, which is kind of ‘lost’ somewhere between Reggae and Hip-Hop (and I mean that in the best possible way), it’s almost like two ‘distant relatives’ meeting on neutral ground in a sense. The very first tune on the album, the fun ‘As We Enter’ (which was one of the 200 or so pre-release singles for the ridiculously well promoted album), kind of takes on the title of the album in an indirect way. “As we enter, come mek we tek you pon di biggest adventure”, Jr. Gong says, seemingly in observance the magnitude of the musical journey on which the listener is about to embark. This tune took quite awhile to grow on me because it’s kind of odd, but you get to the point where the skill of the back and forth wordplay simply just has to impress, despite the rather somber disco/playful nature of the riddim backing the duo on the tune which simply announces the presence of the rest of the album. Said “rest of the album” begins with the very first of quite a few official combinations on Distant Relatives, the very solid ’Tribal War’, which features K'Naan, a name which is becoming increasingly familiar to me. The Somalian born rapper toured with the Marley Bros. and has been popping up on quite a few mixtapes as well (and he even gets another go on this album). The tune is an update to the pretty much CLASSIC Reggae song and while it has another rather strange vibes with it, I simply have to give credit where it’s due, K'Naan SMASHES this thing with his BRILLIANT verse, arguably outshining both of his superstar song mates. The tune itself has another very strong message and it was right about here where I started to realize how this is probably best received amongst Reggae fans (more on that later). Lastly of the opening lot is another previously released song (thankfully I didn’t pay much attention to the pre-releases, personally, so many (I.e. ALL) of the tunes are very fresh to me), ‘Strong Will Continue’. I don’t like the backing to this one at all; it’s pretty pedestrian, with its ‘BIG’ and electric sound. But it doesn’t matter as the tune ultimately provides the album’s first jaw dropping moment in the form of the CRAZY torrent of words dropped by Nas at the end of the song. It almost seems like he decided to do it as bonus of sorts to the tune (should’ve known it with that >6:00 time) which speaks on the power of rising to the occasion (biggup Sizzla) and being strong when times turn terrible. All in all, the album has a most interesting and revealing beginning.

Because of the way Distant Relatives is vibed (and after I saw the tracklist), I thought that it would shine the brightest when you could bring the ‘relatives’ closest together at a proper and equal distance from their own bases. I didn’t think Nas could catch (consistent) fire over an old school one-drop riddim (even though he tries and does well) and I didn’t think that Jr. Gong could give his best across a heavy Hip-Hop beat. I was right in my guess. The two meet on very even terms on the album’s biggest tune when the MASSIVE ‘Dispear’ rolls in. ‘Dis’ song is HEAVY! You can call it a little bit of Hip-Hop with the overall ‘mood’ of the tune, you can call it a bit of Reggae with that KNOCK that the riddim, but in either case, this one breaths fire throughout as the dynamic duo make a play on the word ‘despair’ with ‘this spear’, which seemingly becomes the HANDLE for the revolution. Lyrically it’s one of the finest tunes on the album and the vibe here is something just on a higher level than anything else I hear on Distant Relatives. MAMMOTH tune.

‘Dispear’ is nearly the antithesis, in terms of vibes (the messages are actually quite similar if you really analyze them), and to the tune which it follows ’Count Your Blessings’. This tune is actually quite sweet and with its kind of ‘funky’ vibes, it’s probably the clear choice as the most colourful of changeups to be offered by this album (and I can see a very nice video coming from this one as well although I don’t think it’s going to happen. A couple of tunes, ‘In His Own Words’ (which features Stephen Marley) and the loaded ‘My Generation’, also have a kind of ‘bright’ sounding vibes to them as well. I’m not very fond of either, however. The latter, which features both Joss Stone (who I’d never heard of, but apparently she’s a very popular R&B singer from out of the UK) (who can sing her ass off!) and Hip-Hop superstar Lil’ Wayne (who I have heard of), is probably the stronger of the two with the two features artists taking center stage. The overall vibes of the tune (with the kids singing behind Stone) is kind of sappy and I wasn’t enthused about Lil Wayne’s offering either (might be looking more into Ms. Stone, however). As for ‘In His Own Words’, it’s a decent tune, but wholly unremarkable in my opinion, with obligatory acoustic-ish set. And all three of these tunes are polar opposites to the downright skeletal ‘Patience’ which definitely requires quite a bit of just that to take in fully (seriously, this one should have said ‘featuring Vaughn Benjamin’ on it). The tune features a large sample from Amadou & Mariam’s tune ‘Sabali’ (Welcome To Mali album, which I suppose is about to become suddenly very popular) (good for them). This song certainly isn’t BAD, but it never really achieves a ‘lift off’ and the lyrics aren’t terribly over impressive either.

There’re two tracks on the album which serve SO interesting as opposites by ‘dragging’ one artist into the world of the other and although, like I said, I don’t think that it’s something which would have been consistently successful, done in moderation, I think it’s absolutely wonderful and certainly part of the reason why we would want to focus on such an album so hard. ‘Nah Mean’ is a straight Hip-Hop track and with Marley’s dexterity (and his FIRE), he handles it with no problem and attacks a level which is barely met by his partner, completely at home on the track, which is basically a social commentary and definitely one of the biggest tunes on the album. On the opposite end of the scale is ‘Land Of Promise’, which is serious Reggae and a take on the immortal Dennis Brown’s (and Aswad’s) tune, ‘Promised Land’. Nas handles the tune excellently (and actually drops THE line of the tune when he says, “. . . this where the truth’s told. Use those two holes above your nose to see the proof yow”). Brown’s original vocals are also present on the tune (as is that impenetrable riddim) and again, it’s one of the best tunes to be found on Distant Relatives. The earlier tune, ‘Leaders’ (which also features Stephen), is also pretty heavily Reggae and it’s also one of the better tunes here. It’s somewhat somber in terms of the vibes, but LYRICALLY this is about as impressive tune you’ll find here. The song speaks with a kind of a two sidedness in that - It’s speaking to ‘the leaders’ (“let’s all change the world”), but it’s also speaking to a dearth of actual and tangible leaders as well. Seriously this tune is one best appreciated over a period of time, but even if you do try to take it more superficially the vibes here are also immediately gratifying as well. That tune precedes a song in ‘Friends’ which also is pretty nice and immediately so. The song, also, is very impressive lyrically as the two speak on the importance and virtues of good friends. In the process, Marley even references the late Daddigon, which is always such a nice thing to do.

The final tune on Distant Relatives brings things back to the GOAL of the album to a degree in reference to the proceeds it generates apparently. ‘Africa Must Wake Up’ is another tune featuring the aforementioned K'Naan and while his contribution isn’t as destructively brilliant (and of course it‘s also in Somali, but you can read the translation) as it was on ‘Tribal War’, this tune may just be better than that one. I love the kind of colourful mood of the tune (it almost sounds like something from Fela Kuti’s catalogue) and it speaks to knowledge on a very high level as well. Truly, there’re better moments on the album, but I don’t know if there was a more fitting and proper tune to end the album. Excellent choice (and somewhere, Hugh Mundell is smiling).

Overall (this may take awhile), yes - It is a very big album, but there are conditions to its BIGness. First of all, as I alluded to, even though the Marleys largely helm the production for Distant Relatives, it seems to be more guided to a Hip-Hop crowd. For example, while I’m very happy that the name ‘Dennis Brown’ is about to become much more well known in Hip-Hop circles, the only current Reggae artist on the album besides Jr. Gong is Stephen (and over the years, they’ve kind of become a ‘packaged deal’ of sorts with one not appearing, to any substantial degree, without the other and certainly that’s fine). That certainly makes sense, appealing to Hip-Hop fans is a hell of a lot more likely to sell you albums than appealing to Reggae heads, however, I have to admit that had the album featured the likes of Bounty Killer, Capleton, Spragga Benz, Yami Bolo or any of the other well known Reggae artists with whom the Marleys have associated over the years, I may have flatly giggled with delight (with absolutely no shame about it either) (and almost shockingly Julian Marley isn’t even here). Still, it certainly shouldn’t be viewed as a total (tangible) lost to Reggae fans either and I’ll tell you why. If you look at Distant Relatives very closely with a careful eye towards the lyrical aspect of the album, you’re going to be VERY impressed. Again, I don’t know a lot about Hip-Hop or a lot about Nas’ music in particular, however, the subjectry on this album - With it’s direction being heavily geared towards the social aspect of the world - is something heavy Reggae fans are more than just ‘used to’ dealing with on a consistent basis and also Damian’s fans, in particular. And I feel like I should reiterate the fact that while I, personally, aren’t a big fan of Hip-Hop, you can certainly be a fan of both and be so deeply and in which case, this may be one of the greatest albums you’ve ever heard in your entire life. I do think that its greatest impact will come in the Hip-Hop arena where apparently they’re already eating it up and declaring it one of the best albums of the year. To me (and probably you), however, it’s still very strong and it’s ‘the new Damian Marley album’, which is a big ass deal. It’s not great and I’m not falling over myself dealing with it, but Distant Relatives is BIG album and we certainly hope it does so well. Well done.

Rated 4/5

Universal Republic/Def Jam

2010

CD/Digital

Distant Relatives

Distant Relatives @ Myspace

Nas @ Myspace

Jr. Gong @ Myspace