Nas: 'Reggae and hip-hop are cousins'

Nas has said that he has reconnected with his reggage roots through his Distant Relatives joint project with Damian Marley.

The rapper also said that he believes reggae and hip-hop are part of the same musical family.

Nas told the Miami Herald: "Reggae and hip-hop are cousins. Go back before the '90s and think about the music that was playing on the ghetto blasters and you'll hear it... The whole world is like family, split up all over the place.

"It's overdue, and I want to help build whatever we can in Africa. I've worked with a lot of reggae artists, like Sizzla and Supercat, but not until 2005's Jamrock did I get a chance to work with Damian. I love his music and I'm a big fan of Bob Marley and the whole family. We haven't worked out any tour dates yet. But I'm sure Damian and I will do something soon."

Nas and Marley's new album Distant Relatives is expected to be released on April 20.