It was hard to know a year ago what rap in 2010 would be like with Lil Wayne in jail. Aside from maybe Rihanna, there really has been no single figure in hip hop quite so ubiquitous in the last five years as the Poet Laureate of Hollygrove. I am happy to announce that the state of our union is strong. Perennial heavyweights like Big Boi, Eminem, The Roots and Raekwon all punched out strong albums this year, while newcomers like Nicki Minaj and KiD CuDi delivered full lengths that were highly catchy, if a bit more superficial in content. And though there were a few tracks still peddling in Auto-Tune, it appears as if most of hip-hop took Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.” for the coup de grace it was meant to be. Of course, all of the regular tropes are still there: the sex, the money, the braggadocio. But there seems to be more room in rap these days for realistic introspection. Or, in the case of “distant relatives” Nas and Damian Marley, a thoughtful reflection on a tumultuous past and a hopeful future. The story of Africa is the focus here – its anthropology, its diaspora, its colonization – told through a riveting and tasteful sampling of its contributions to world music. And though the album does not shy away from the well-plumbed depths of slavery and racism, neither does it wallow in anger or despair. Distant Relatives is ultimately about shared experience, a “big picture” album that insists on considering history from an inclusively human and humane perspective. Grade: A-
