NCIS Actor David McCallum Is Partly Responsible For One Of The Greatest Rap Songs Ever

Actor David McCallum had an interesting career, first gaining appreciation and fans as the incredibly suave Russian agent Illya Kuryakin on "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." in the 1960s, then gaining a whole new set of fans for playing quirky medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on the procedural series "NCIS" throughout the 2000s and 2010s. There's another truly excellent credit on his resume that people would probably be shocked to discover, however, as McCallum is partly responsible for one of the greatest rap songs ever: Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode." 

That's right, no need for a "hold up," because David McCallum composed the instrumental song "The Edge" for his 1966 album "Music: A Bit More of Me," produced by David Axelrod. The now-unmistakable beats and grooves of "The Edge" became a part of not just music history, but hip-hop history, injecting Dre's West Coast vibes with a bit of vintage flair. It's kind of wild to think of the goofy guy in the bowtie from "NCIS" composing what is arguably one of the coolest beats ever made, but clearly Ducky contains multitudes.

In addition to being sampled in "The Next Episode," David McCallum's "The Edge" has been sampled in dozens of other songs, including "Missin Linx" from the British rapper M.I.A. and "Actions" by R&B titan John Legend. Not only that, but McCallum's version of the song also features on the soundtracks of the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV" and Edgar Wright's heist flick with killer needle drops, "Baby Driver."

McCallum's contributions to television are undeniable, but finding out that he also contributed to one of the greatest of all music samples is pretty cool. No wonder "NCIS" creator Donald P. Bellisario threatened the series over McCallum's casting, because there really was just no one else like him.