Giveaway: Nas & Damian Marley at Stubb's [Tonight]

Published June 9, 2010 at 2:20 p.m.

Image from Nas’ MySpace Nas & Damian Marley
Wednesday, June 9
Stubbs (801 Red River)
7 p.m...$35
[info] [tickets]Collaborations between established musicians normally lead to intriguing results. And although the whole is definitely not always greater than the sum of its parts, we’ve learnt over the decades that the certain partnerships can indeed inject that extra oomph into a recording session. The Beatles and Ravi Shankar were able to come together for a few stellar tracks back in the day, while coalitions like Band Aid and USA For Africa have undoubtedly left their mark on the history of music. More recently, Roky Erickson has teamed up with relevant current artists (The Black Angels, Okkervil River) much to the delight of his loyal devotees, as well as fans of psychedelic music in general. But we must always proceed with caution, lest the next Judgement Night or Spawn soundtrack be lurking around the corner.

We’ve had our eye on the alliance between Nas and Damian Marley ever since the former appeared on the latter’s “Road To Zion” single in 2005. Last month, they released Distant Relatives, a splendid album that celebrates their heritage and brings to light each’s substantial lyrical and vocal prowess. Assisted by a whole host of guest contributors, the duo alternates between, and fuses the worlds of hip hop and reggae (and everything in between) in absorbing fashion throughout the impressive catalog of songs. “Tribal War” (with K'naan) and “Leaders” (featuring Damian’s brother Stephen) are just two of the many highlights that ensure this record was well worth the collective effort put forth by all parties involved.

Nas and Damian Marley were in Austin this past March for SXSW. Based on their scintillating performances during the festival (and the strength of the material on Distant Relatives), we can’t recommend tonight’s show at Stubb’s enough. Buy your tickets via Front Gate -- a portion of your purchase benefits (Red), an entity that works towards the elimination of AIDS in Africa. If you’re fortunate enough to go to the concert tonight on us (enter below for a chance to win free tickets), donate to the cause here.

[Nas MySpace]
[Damian “Junior Gong” Marley MySpace]

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