Video Breakdown: Nas & Damian Marley’s “As We Enter” (Review & Video)

Both grew up as sons of fathers who were musicians and mostly absent from their childhood. Both followed in the footsteps of those men and became career musicians at a very young age. Together they are "Distant Relatives". In 2008 Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley set out to do what few people have successfully achieved, make a collaboration album that didn’t suck. Many heavyweights have tried to team up with another big name of equal stature, but most of the time it has ended up in failure. Not so with "Distant Relatives". Follow us this week as we take through the video for the first single of the album, “As We Enter”.



As We Enter follows a very basic premise. Nas and Damian are walking through a smoky dimly lit warehouse and searching for something with flashlights. After spending about half the video doing this with flashlights in their hands as they ray, we see a murder scene, some hooded black figures run, some extras in a jail and a rat. Mix in some tricky editing and you’ll quickly the video doesn’t make very much sense, narratively speaking.

Let’s put all that aside though. What does make this video great is the power of the performances in it. Nas and Damian Marley both have commanding stage presence and this translates very well to camera. The video doesn’t need to be complicated or tricky because the talent in it carries it. Another factor we should take into account is the budget this record had. If Nas’ own solo efforts won’t command a decent budget for shooting video (look at his last Untitled album for reference) then he certainly won’t be getting any help for teaming up with a reggae artist and making a duet based on the African diaspora. But Nas obviously is not doing this album solely for commercial purposes. Proceeds from the sales are going to build a school in Africa. So go check out this album a grab a copy, hell grab two. This is good music, unfettered by the evils of songs based off derivative dance fads and teen idols. If the labels arent be supporting this music with their marketing power, someone should.