Production Breakdown: From Common to Wu-Tang, Sampling Bob James’ “Nautilus”

Years ago, I read a newspaper article about a man who had become a sperm donor in college to earn a little extra dough, and in the proceeding years unknowingly fathered not tens, not dozens, but literally hundreds of children all across the country. Which is kinda mindblowing – talk about hitting the evolutionary jackpot. Of course, not everyone saw it in quite such a positive light when they found out. Many of the individuals involved, for obvious reasons, found the situation awkward in the extreme... but I digress.

“What could this possibly have to do with production... is this another of your weird-ass metaphors?” Yes, yes it is. If samples are, as referenced in the tagline of WhoSampled.com (who, as usual, were an invaluable resource for this column – props!), “the DNA of music,” then, by analogy, Bob James is that guy.

While the 70-year -old keyboardist/arranger/producer's crafted several pieces considered classics in the fusion-jazz world (as well as writing the theme to Taxi – remember that show?), his best-known contributions to music didn't actually have anything to do with him. To put it simply, his work been reappropriated, flipped, and chopped into more hip-hop records than that of just about any other musician to walk this earth – and that's thanks in large part to “Nautilus,” a roughly five-minute cut off debut LP One.



Since I've been vibing out to James' work lately, I thought I'd give readers a chronological (but by no means exhaustive) tour through some of the many records to draw from the '74 gem. Just how full of potential samples is “Nautilus”? Well, NYC vet Big L didn't have to look more than a few seconds into the cut to find inspiration for '95 record “Let Em Have It L”

Big L – Let Em Have It L (0:05)


The iconic bassline from “Nautilus” is a commonly sampled element, which has been grabbed from various sections of the record by various producers. Off the group's '91 LP Business as Usual, EPMD's “Brothers on My Jock” finds the group borrowing the tail end of the ambient intro along with the first repetition of the bassline,

EPMD (ft. Redman) – Brothers on My Jock (0:10)


Slick Rick interpolates the same bars into his '88 debut single, “Children's Story”

Slick Rick – Children's Story


as does Jazzy Jeff on this '89 cut – which also prominently features a keyboard riff from later in “Nautilus.”

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – The Groove (Jazzy's Groove) (0:11, 0:28)


Jumping ahead, Ultramagnetics beatsmith Ced Gee flipped a syncopated keyboard transition in his self-titled “Ced Gee (Delta Force).”

Ultramagnetic MCs – Ced Gee (Delta Force) (0:52)


An adjoining section became the basis for “Job Song,” off Consequence's '07 freshman set, Don't Quit Your Day Job.

Common – Job Song (0:57)


Taking a leap forward in “Nautilus,” Eric B. snagged a moment of tense interplay between keyboard and strings on the title track of his and Rakim's sophomore set, Paid in Full.

Eric B. and Rakim – Follow the Leader (2:32)


RZA grabbed the aforementioned bassline and some string dissonance on Ghostface's Raekwon and Cappadonna-assisted “Daytona 500.”

Ghostface Killah (ft. Raekwon & Cappadonna) – Daytona 500 (3:26)


Another leap forward, but a hop backwards in hip-hop history – Run DMC turned an atmospheric break into their classic '88 joint “Beats to the Rhyme.”

Run DMC – Beats to the Rhyme (3:30)


And last but not least, RZA delivers a stark and menacing chopped take on the bassline on 8 Diagrams joint “Take It Back.”

Wu-Tang Clan -Take It Back (3:46)

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So there you have it, RefinedHypesters – just a few of the many samplings of Nautilus. Feel free to take me to task for any I've missed!