With Distant Relatives being the first major collaborative effort between a bona fide hip-hop star and a well-respected reggae artist, fans of both musical genres were itching to find out how the two would connect in a live performance.
During a recent stop at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, the two musical giants proved that they have a cohesiveness that takes some groups years to achieve.
After an entertaining reggae/hip-hop mix performed by DJ Green Latern, Nas and Damian Marley stormed the stage and opened with the furious hit single, “As We Enter.” The two then took the crowd into the essence of African strife with the haunting, “Tribal War.”
Damian Marley gave Nas the center stage and retreated for 15 minutes as the Queens emcee performed several of his classic hits, including “Hip-Hop is Dead” and the idealistic “If I Ruled the World.”
Marley soon returned to the stage and assisted Nas as the two kept the crowd’s energy high with “Dispear.” On “Count Your Blessings,” Marley led the way with a harmonious hook that showed the depths of his vocal range.
During Marley’s solo set, he performed several of his classic reggae hits and sent the crowd into a frenzy when he performed “Welcome to Jamrock.” Nas re-emerged to perform “Hate Me Know” and the B-boy anthem, “Made You Look.”
The two wrapped up the 90-minute show with “Africa Must Wake Up,” and later returned for two surprising encores.
Running through August, the Distant Relatives tour features a musical dream team that puts on one of the best live shows of the summer. –amir shaw
