Thief's Theme

Infobox Single
Name = Thief's Theme


Artist = Nas
from Album = Street's Disciple
Released = 2004
Format = CD single
Recorded = 2001 - 2004
Genre = Hip hop
Length = 2:59
Label = Ill Will/Columbia
Writer = Nasir Jones
Producer = Salaam Remi
Chart position =
* #, (U.S. R&B)
Last single = "Get Down"
(2003)
This single = "Thief's Theme"
(2004)
Next single = "Bridging the Gap"
(2004)|

"Thief's Theme" is a single from Nas' double album "Street's Disciple". It is the last song of the album (13th track of the double album to be precise). The single contains vocals from Nas' song "The World Is Yours" from his first album "Illmatic":

"The Thief's theme, play me at night they won't act rightUnderstandable smooth shit that murderers move with."

This was intended to remind listeners that it was Illmatic's 10th Anniversary.

The song featured an interpolation of the famous riff from Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" performed by Incredible Bongo Band. Nas would again use the same sample on the 2006 single "Hip Hop is Dead".

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 would appear on the UK version of "Street's Disciple". Rising Son would win the competition.

The song was featured in Martin Scorsese's Academy Award winning film "The Departed" but was not featured on the soundtrack.

Music video

The video mostly revolves around two parts- one part shows some men who are robbing stores and the other part shows Nas and some men with him getting ready to rob. The music video had fair rotation on MTV and BET.

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)