"Bridging the Gap" is a single from

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

' '' Street's Disciple'', and features his father, Olu Dara. The second single from ''Street's Disciple'', it samples music from

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

' " Mannish Boy" composition. Olu Dara provides the hook of the song by talking about his path and how Nas was born. Nas and Olu Dara performed the song many times before the release of ''Street's Disciple'', generating buzz as the release of the album drew near. The song is referenced in the title track of The Game's song " The Documentary", when he says, "Now I understand why Nas did a song with his pops". The song peaked at #94 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. The song was featured in the film '' A Prophet'', directed by

Jacques Audiard Jacques Audiard (; born 30 April 1952) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the son of Michel Audiard, also a film director and screenwriter. He has won both the César Award for Best Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Fi ...

. It plays over the closing credits of the 2018

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''.

Music video

The music video was directed by Diane Martel and shows Nas and Olu Dara on a stage with women dancing in the background. It also shows a few shots that are supposed to be Nas in school. At the end of the video, Dara stands still next to Nas and says with a smile, "Rest in peace,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

," as a sign of respect. (Charles had died in the summer of 2004.) The video had high rotation on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and

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Track listing

A-side

# "Bridging The Gap" (Album Version) (4:00) # "Bridging The Gap" (Instrumental) (3:57) # "Bridging The Gap" (A Cappella) (3:57)

B-side

# "Bridging The Gap" (Album Version) (4:00) # "Bridging The Gap" (Instrumental) (3:57) # "Bridging The Gap" (A Cappella) (3:57)

Charts

Release history

References

2004 singles 2004 songs Nas songs Columbia Records singles Music videos directed by Diane Martel Songs written by Nas Song recordings produced by Salaam Remi Songs written by Salaam Remi Jazz rap songs {{2000s-hiphop-single-stub