S. Samuel
Grammy-nominated rapper Nas has leaked "As We Enter," the first single to his upcoming Distant Relatives collabo album with Damian Marley.
Nas previewed the song by providing a snippet via a blog posting.
“HERE IS AN EXCLUSIVE,” Nas wrote. “SNEAK PEEK AT THE FIRST SINGLE FROM THE NEXT ALBUM I’VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH MY MAN DAMIAN MARLEY!! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK??” (Global Grind)
The minute-long snippet features both Marley and Nas exchanging verses.
“Must be the venture,” Nas raps “That you ever thought you could ever touch our credentials/What’s the initials…Burn candles, say prayers, paint murals/We big news, we hood heros…And I got the guns/And we can blaze it up on your block if you wanna/Or, haze it up, stash box in the Hummer/Or you could run, get done up…And I’m shrewd about decimals…Salute and honor/Real revolution rhymers/Like two Obamas, unfold the dramas.” (Imeem)
Nas first announced the collaboration project last February.
“Right now, I’ll tell you first, I’m working on an album with Damian Marley, and we tryin’ to build some schools in Africa with this one, and trying to build empowerment,” Nas said. “We’re tryin’ to show love and stuff with this album. So, the record’s … all about really the ‘hood and Africa also as well. That’s coming out real soon…Too early to tell the title or anything like that,” he said. “Shout out to my man Jr. Gong, we getting it in right now.” (MTV News)
Titled Distant Relatives, the project will aim to reflect their connection to the continent of Africa.
The album title is inspired by Nas and Damian’s relationship, but also their shared African ancestry, which is a common thread throughout the album. “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,” Damian Marley said in a statement. (Billboard)
A release date for the forthcoming project has not yet been announced.
Check out the new song below:
As We Enter – Nas and Damian Marley
