Rewind: “Bridging the Gap”

Nas feat. Olu Dara- Bridging the Gap

I remember seeing this video a few years ago and I remember liking it, but it did not fully connect with me until recently when I started my research on jazz, blues and hip-hop for my senior projects. My appreciation of Nas increased knowing that his father is jazz singer and musician, Olu Dara. Also, the sample of Muddy Water’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” tied the genres together because of the musical idea of the “break” or “stop-time.” My topic for one of my papers (for my jazz class) is comparing the reception of early jazz to the reception of hip-hop and I like how this song clearly connects those genres showing how the old blends with the new.