"Bridging the Gap", the second single from Nas

Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

' Street's Disciple

Street's Disciple

Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records in the United States. It is a double album entitled after one of his rhymes from "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source, which was the song marking his musical debut...

, features his father, Olu Dara

Olu Dara

Olu Dara Jones is an American cornetist, guitarist and singer.-History:...

, and samples music from Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...

' "Mannish Boy

Mannish Boy

"Mannish Boy" is a blues standard first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1955. It is an arrangement of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man"...

" 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. It was the only buzz the album had as its release came near. The song is referenced in the title track of The Game

The Game (rapper)

Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...

's song "The Documentary

The Documentary

The Documentary is the debut studio album by West Coast rapper Game, released on January 18, 2005, through Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records and Interscope Records. After recovering from a shooting in late 2001, The Game pursued a rap career and was discovered by Dr. Dre who signed him to his...

", when he says, "Now I understand why Nas did a song with his pops."

The song is featured in the film A Prophet

A Prophet

A Prophet is a 2009 French prison film directed by Jacques Audiard. Audiard claims that the film aims at "creating icons, images for people who don't have images in movies, like the Arabs in France," though he also had stated that the film "has nothing to do with his vision of society," and is a...

, directed by Jacques Audiard

Jacques Audiard

Jacques Audiard is a French film director, the son of Michel Audiard, also a notable screenwriter and film director.He won twice both the César Award for Best Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language, in 2005 for The Beat That My Heart Skipped and in 2010 for A Prophet...

.

Music video

The music video was directed by Diane Martel

Diane Martel

Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...

 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. The video had high rotation on MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 and BET

Bet

Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...

. At the end of the video, Dara stands still next to Nas and says with a smile "Rest in peace, Ray Charles

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

" as a sign of respect.

A-side

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

B-side

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