Actually, it all comes together in the album’s first few seconds as Marley and Nas loop a sample of Ethiopian jazzman Mulatu Astatke for “As We Enter”’s effective and infectious beat. The Nas and Damian Marley collaboration Distant Relatives came together as a way to earn money for schools in Africa, but before any corny “charity album” misconceptions get in the way, know that this is one purposeful monster and a conceptional bull's eye that fully supports its title.
