Talib Kweli & DJ Jazzy Jeff Join Bob James For ‘Nautilus’ Remix

Talib Kweli and DJ Jazzy Jeff have joined Bob James for a remix of “Nautilus” during James’ Tiny Desk Concert. Premiered on Monday (May 20), the jazz pianist’s 21-minute medley concluded with an unheard rendition of his classic 1974 song alongside the rap legends. AD LOADING… James previously collaborated with Jazzy Jeff on his 2023 song “That Bop,” while he also performed live with Kweli at the New York Blue Note Jazz Club last year. Accompanied by a live band, the trio gave one of Hip Hop’s most famous samples a fresh makeover, complete with scratches from Jazzy Jeff and typically esoteric rhymes from the Reflection Eternal MC. “Here’s where this setlist starts to get weird for me. In fact, this is a first, I’m happy to say, of trying to combine my music with me being in control, rather than having my music be used the way it’s been used so often with samples in the Hip Hop world,” the 84-year-old James told the NPR audience before diving into the performance. “I started off, many years ago, maybe even being angry. Like, ‘Why are they taking my music? Whey are they chopping it up? Why are they doing weird...