"Thief's Theme" is a single from Nas' double album ''
Street's Disciple
''Street's Disciple'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released as a double album by Columbia Records. Originally scheduled for a September 14, 2004 release, the album was ultimately released on November 30, 2004. Named after ...
'', released through
,
Sony Urban Music
Sony Urban Music was a division of Sony BMG, active from 2004 to 2006, The division handled R&B, soul, and hip hop releases by artists nominally signed to Sony's Columbia and Epic labels. During its existence, Sony Urban managed releases by art ...
, and Nas'
Ill Will Records
Ill Will Records is an American vanity record label founded by Nasir "Nas" Jones. The label was named after Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992, when both were teenagers. Nas co ...
. The single contains vocals from Nas' song "
The World Is Yours" from his first album ''
Illmatic
''Illmatic'' (stylized in lowercase) is the debut studio album by the American rapper Nas, released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung ...
'':
The song featured an
interpolation
In the mathematics, mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points.
In engineering and science, one ...
of the famous
riff
A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...
from
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly was an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal m ...
's "
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (derived from "In the Garden of Eden") is a song recorded by Iron Butterfly, written by band member Doug Ingle and released on their 1968 album of the same name.
At slightly over 17 minutes, it occupies the entire secon ...
" performed by
Incredible Bongo Band
The Incredible Bongo Band, also known as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, was a project started in 1972 by Michael Viner, a record artist manager and executive at MGM Records, producer, MGM Records executive and Curb Records founder Mike Cu ...
. Nas would again use the same sample on the 2006 single "
Hip Hop is Dead
''Hip Hop Is Dead'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 19, 2006, on Def Jam Recordings. His first album for the label, it was co-financed by Nas's previous label, Columbia Records, which once distributed for Def ...
".
Nas sponsored a contest in the United Kingdom in 2004, encouraging entrants to record a verse using the instrumental version of the song. The winner would perform a verse on the song, which appears on the UK version of ''Street's Disciple''. Rising Son won the competition.
The song was featured in
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
's Academy Award-winning film ''
The Departed
''The Departed'' is a 2006 crime film, crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both an English-language remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-lif ...
'' but was not featured on the soundtrack.
Track listing
A-side
# "Thief's Theme" (Clean Album Version) (3:00)
# "Thief's Theme" (Explicit Album Version) (3:10)
# "Thief's Theme" (Instrumental) (2:59)
B-side
# "You Know My Style" (Clean Album Version) (2:54)
# "You Know My Style" (Explicit Album Version) (2:54)
# "You Know My Style" (Instrumental) (2:49)
Charts
References
2004 singles
Nas songs
Columbia Records singles
Song recordings produced by Salaam Remi
Songs written by Nas
2004 songs
{{2000s-hiphop-single-stub