Bridging The Gap (Feat. Olu Dara)

[Olu Dara]

see i come from Missisippi,

(Bam bam babam)

I was young and running wild,

(Bam bam babam)

in and out of New York City

(Bam bam babam)

where i had my first child

(Bam bam babam)

I named the boy Nasir,

(Bam bam babam)

all the boys call him Nas

(Bam bam babam)

I told him as a youngster,

(Bam bam babam)

he'll be the greatest man alive

(Bam bam babam)

[Nas]

Let's go.....

heh heh heh heh,

Tribrary of these rap skits, styles I mastered

many brothers smashed it up

'n tried to match it

but i'm still number one everyday real

speak what i want i don't care what they feel

coz i'm my ownnn master

my pop told me be your own boss

keep integrity at every cost

and his home was Natches Missisippi,

get it like "Miles" and "Dizzy"

now we gettin' buzy - Bridging the gap

from the blues to Jazz to Rap

the history of music on this track

born in the game

discovered my father's music

like Prince searches thru Rock in the 'Purple Rain'

but Minneapolis was the bridge

home to the "Super Kid" some were well known

some doing bids,

I might of ended up on the wrong side of the tracks

If pops wouldn't of pulled me back and said Yo!

(Greatest man alive .. Great-Great-Great-Great-Greatest man alive!)

Blues came from Gospel, Gospel from Blues

Slaves were harmonizin' them ah's and ooh's

old skool new skool no skool rules

all these years i've been voicin' my blues

I'm an artist from the start, Hiphop got in my heart,

Graffiti on the wall, coulda ended in (laughs)

Juvenile Delinquent

but pops gave me the right type of tools to think with

books to read like 'S' n' stuff

coz the skool's said the kids had Dislexia

in art class i was a compulsive sketcher of.. teachers

in my homeroom i drew pictures to mess 'em up

coz none of them would like my style

read more books than a curriculum profile

saying "Mr Jones please come get your child"

"Coz he's writing mad poems and his verses are wild"

(haha)

(Greatest man great great greatest man alive....)

Heh heh heh,

My Pop was not a Rollin' Stone

He been around the world blowin' his horn, still he came home

Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu

Come on, tell 'em 'bout the places you gone to

[Olu Dara]

Saudi Arabia, Mozambeke, Madagascar, Paris, Greece,

(Uh huh)

The Middle Africa is where we lived

better known as "Queensbridge"

Nas, Nas, you don't stop

'Olu Dara' in the house, you don't stop,

'Muddy Waters,' 'Howlin' Wolf,' you don't stop,

from the Blues to street hop, you don't stop

Tell 'em Pa,

[Olu Dara]

see i come from Missisippi,

(Bam bam babam)

I was young and running wild,

(Running wild!)

(Bam bam babam)

in and out of New York City

(Bam bam babam)

where i had my first child

(Bam bam babam)

I named the boy Nasir,

(Bam bam babam)

all the boys call him Nas

(Bam bam babam)

I told him as a youngster,

(Bam bam babam)

he'll be the greatest man alive

(Bam bam babam)

(You're the greatest pop,)

Greatest man alive

(You're the greatest pop,)

Great great great great greatest man alive

(Rest In Peace 'Ray Charles')