Fresh off of the release of her first US album debut Concrete Jungle, Nneka has been announced as the support act for the historic Distant Relatives Tour with Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley hitting the road May 2010. The tour will stop in major cities across the country in support of their Distant Relatives album, which is a celebration of not only to the bond between the two artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Nneka is deeply influenced by her roots. The political and social states of her home country are often prevalent in her music and live performances. It is this message of awareness, hope and love that made her a perfect fit for a collaboration with Nas and Damian Marley, both legendary artists and personal influences of Nneka’s. “With this tour,” Nneka explains, “we represent the fact that we are all connected to one another, all part of one entity and one source – which is love.”

The tour extends Nneka’s highly successful introduction to the United States, having been heralded by the likes of Spin, Rolling Stone, and Billboard, among others as the next “it” artist of 2010. Her stunning performance of “Heartbeat” on the Late Show with David Letterman left fans enthralled, and Perez Hilton has proclaimed her music to be “a gift to the world.” More recently, the critical acclaim piqued the interest of national retailer Whole Foods, who is now carrying her album as part of their “Artist Discovery” program.

And this is just the beginning. The Distant Relatives Tour is just the next chapter in Nneka’s ongoing crusade to spread the message of unconditional love to a family of fans across the globe. With lyrics like “come let us be truthful, surrender our pride / admit the stains on our, our chest our hands / we seek, we find” she reminds us that as a global community we are responsible, and further inspires us that we are all indeed, distant relatives.

Nneka will be on the following dates of the Distant Relatives Tour:

May 22nd Eugene, OR Cuthbert Amphitheater

May 23rd Seattle, WA Showbox Sodo

May 25th Oakland, CA Fox Theater

May 26th Santa Barbara, CA University of California, Santa Barbara

May 28th Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern

May 29th Las Vegas, NV The Joint

May 30th Valley Center, CA Harrah’s Rincon – Open Sky Theater

May 31st Los Angeles, CA UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival

June 2nd Santa Fe, NM Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre

June 8th Houston, TX House of Blues

June 9th Austin, TX Stubb’s Waller Creek Outdoor Amphitheater

June 11th Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival

June 12th Atlanta, GA Tabernacle

June 13th Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues – Lake Buena Vista, FL

Corporate line:
Nas is back and more controversial than ever on his new untitled Def Jam release. On this, his 9th studio album, Nas studies and lyrically dissects some of the our most divisive issues: race, inequality, poverty, and power. And who better to stir up debate than the man most consider one of the top five emcees in the history of the game? From his brilliant 1994 debut “Illmatic,” to his mainstream success with It Was Written, to anthems like “Hate Me Now” and “One Mic” and his venomous lyricism on “Ether,” Nas’ ability to tell stories, educate, make you dance–and make you look–is the stuff of rap legend. The outspoken Queensbridge rapper has sold over 15 million albums worldwide over the course of his storied career. Nas’ Def Jam debut, “Hip-Hop Is Dead,” was released in December 2006 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 350,000 copies sold in its first week.

The great:
“Sly Fox” – This is the Nas that fans expect. Nas dissects the Fox News with blistering ease. Somewhere Chuck D. is smiling.
“Black President” – The Tupac and John Legend chorus is brilliant. Nas doesn’t let down.

The rest:
“Queens Get The Money” – Nas rains down lyrics like an open faucet–but we always expect more from the king of Queens.
“Fried Chicken” – Is this really Nas? Something is amiss.
“You Can’t Stop Us Now” – The chorus is lacking–which is a shame because Nas kills–just not consistently. Some of the lines are weak while others rip through like a wet paper bag.
“We Make The World Go Round” – Was it Jay-Z who whispered into Nas’ ear that a pop hook will make more money? Someone did because this isn’t signature Nas–its signature Jay-Z without the skills.
“Hero” – This suffers from the same mistakes as “We Make The World Go Round.” It will appeal to a fourteen year-old but its not going to make the hardcore Nas fan happy.

Finally:
Nas doesn’t need commercial success for anything but more money. It’s a shame that a label like Def Jam gets such a great artist and doesn’t understand what made Nas great. They should have left Nas and his style alone instead of trying to make a hardcore rapper into a commercial artist.

Watch the video for “Hero”