Bob James, a prolific jazz keyboardist and arranger, recorded "Nautilus" for his 1974 album One. The track is a smooth, mid-tempo jazz-funk composition featuring James' warm Fender Rhodes electric piano over a bed of orchestral strings and a crisp, locked-in drum groove. In the jazz world, it was one of many quality recordings in James' extensive catalog. In the hip-hop world, it would become something close to sacred.

The drum break and the melodic hooks from "Nautilus" became omnipresent in golden-age hip-hop. Slick Rick's "Children's Story," Ghostface Killah's "Daytona 500," and Eric B. & Rakim's work all drew from the track. The break's appeal lies in its warmth and swing — it grooves without being aggressive, creating a laid-back pocket that works perfectly under lyrical, introspective rap.

Bob James is one of the most sampled artists in hip-hop history, and "Nautilus" is his most sampled track. The record exemplifies why 1970s jazz-funk became such fertile ground for hip-hop producers: the recordings were impeccably played, beautifully recorded, and rhythmically sophisticated in ways that gave producers rich material to work with.