Nas and Damian Marley collaboration album on the way

The mutability of hip-hop is old news in 2009, with the genre's best and brightest tripping over themselves to ditch their 808s and cross sonic boundaries. So, no surprise that nasty Nas is cooking up a collaboration album with reggae giant Damian Marley.

In an interview with Billboard, Nas' manager Anthony Saleh revealed that Nas and Marley have been recording music together since early January, and are aiming for a Spring release for the as-yet-untitled album. "We've been recording in a studio, where people like Mick Jagger are recording. No one knew who we were," Saleh said. "We're going to Miami this week to finish it up and we're aiming to tour for the album this summer."

A special edition version at Target or Best Buy is a possibility. A portion of proceeds from the album will go to building a school in Africa.

Related links:
Review: Nas: Untitled
News: Michael Eric Dyson to edit book about Nas' Illmatic
Nas on MySpace

Got a news tip for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.