Synopsis
Filmed in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, "Nah Mean" follows Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley as they move through the city, trading verses while a growing crowd of locals gathers around them. Shot almost entirely in black and white, the video favors an unpolished, documentary-like feel over elaborate staging. The artists' walk becomes a communal procession, matching the track's blend of reggae rhythm, hip-hop swagger, and socially conscious observations about poverty, capitalism, and everyday life.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video premiered in April 2011, nearly a year after "Nah Mean" appeared on the duo's collaborative album, "Distant Relatives."
- Its black-and-white photography gives the clip a street-reportage quality and keeps attention on the performers, the Kingston surroundings, and the people joining the procession.
- Stephen Marley, Damian's brother, can be spotted among the crowd following Nas and Damian.
- The clip was filmed in Kingston and was promoted as a companion piece to the "Land of Promise" video, another "Distant Relatives" visual shot in Jamaica.
- "Nah Mean" is one of the album's more overt hip-hop tracks, with Nas and Damian alternating verses rather than separating the song into a conventional rapper-and-singer format.
- The track contains a sample from "Kurikute" by Sara Chaves, adding another African musical connection to the album's broader theme of shared roots and diaspora.