Nujabes

Nujabes 瀬葉 淳
Background information
Birth name	Jun 'Seba' Yamada
Born	(1974-02-07)February 7, 1974 Nishi-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Died	February 26, 2010(2010-02-26) (aged 36) Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Hip hop, jazz rap
Occupation(s)	Record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer, arranger
Instruments	Turntables, sampler, drum machine, flute
Years active	1995–2010
Labels	Hydeout Productions
Associated acts	Substantial, Uyama Hiroto, Shing02, Five Deez, Terry Callier, FunkyDL, Cise Starr
Website	Hydeout Productions

Jun Seba (Japanese: 瀬葉 淳, Hepburn: Seba Jun, February 7, 1974 – February 26, 2010), better known by his stage name Nujabes (ヌジャベス, Nujabesu), was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz. He released two studio albums during his lifetime: Metaphorical Music (2003) and Modal Soul (2005), while the album Spiritual State was released posthumously in 2011. Seba was the founder of the independent label Hydeout Productions and released two collection compilations: Hydeout Productions 1st Collection (2003) and 2nd Collection (2007).^[1] Additionally, Seba collaborated on the soundtrack for Shinichirō Watanabe's anime series Samurai Champloo (Music Record: Departure and Impression) in 2004.

Although relatively niche during his music career, Nujabes has since achieved posthumous acclaim and been referred to as the "godfather" of lo-fi hip hop, although his music also incorporates elements of trip hop, breakbeat, downtempo, and ambient music. Credited with predating the genre's popularity in the 2010s, Seba has inspired numerous subsequent producers and imitators.^[2] On February 26, 2010, aged 36, Jun Seba died in a traffic collision.^[3]

Biography[]

Seba was born on February 7, 1974, in the Nishi-Azabu district of Minato in central Tokyo, Japan. Seba was the owner of two Shibuya record stores, T Records and Guinness Records, and in 1998 founded the independent record label Hydeout Productions.

Career[]

Seba adopted the stage name Nujabes (his name spelled backwards) and became notable for his approach to producing hip hop beats, often blending jazz influences into his songs creating a mellow, nostalgic and atmospheric sound. He is considered a pioneer of chillhop and lo-fi music.^[4] Seba collaborated with Japanese artists like Uyama Hiroto, Shing02, L-Universe, and Minmi, and with various underground American hip hop acts such as CYNE, Cise Starr (as a solo apart from the hip-hop collective CYNE), Apani B, Five Deez, Substantial, CL Smooth, Fat Jon, Terry Callier as well as British rapper Funky DL. Seba was also a member of the production duo Urbanforest, an experimental collaboration with Nao T.^[5] Seba collaborated with Shing02 on the critically acclaimed Luv(sic) hexalogy, making the parts 1-3 together, but after Seba died unexpectedly many doubted that the series could ever be completed. However, parts 4 and 5 had already been completed, which were released shortly after Seba's death. Part 6 was not among the previously completed tracks, but it was released on February 26, 2013, on the third anniversary of Seba's death. According to Shing02's official Facebook page, the instrumental to what would eventually be part 6 was discovered on Seba's cell phone a few weeks after his death.^[6]

External video
Who is Nujabes? (23:57), YouTube video by Stevem

Seba was one of the most prolific contributors to the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed anime series Samurai Champloo, which blends a feudal Japanese setting with modern anachronisms, especially in regard to hip hop culture such as graffiti and rapping.^[7]

Death[]

On February 26, 2010, Seba was involved in a traffic collision upon exiting the Shuto Expressway at 22:14. He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Shibuya Ward after efforts to revive him failed.^[8][9] His grave is located within the Japanese section of Tama Cemetery.

Legacy[]

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Seba's death elicited many tributes from other artists around the world. On Bandcamp, the New York-based Digi Crates records released a series of tribute albums performed by various artists in a style reminiscent of Seba's.^[10] Seba's label Hydeout Productions released a tribute album titled Modal Soul Classics II featuring a number of former collaborators and with lyrics and song titles that reference Seba's work.

Frequent collaborator Shing02 remarked, "Through his soulful music, Nujabes has touched so many people around the world, even beyond his dreams", and "[I] deeply regret the loss of a unique talent and a close friend."^[11][12] Shing02 has performed at tribute concerts for Seba.

Daniel Hodgman, founder of hip hop culture website BonusCut, in a 2014 highlight of Modal Soul said that, "Nujabes may not be physically with us anymore, but through his music, his legacy and lust for life lives on." Co-founder Gus Navarro remarked that, "The music of the late producer Nujabes is something to hold onto and never let go."^[13]

In 2013, Australian producer Ta-ku released the tribute album 25 Nights for Nujabes.^[14]

In 2018, Polish rapper Zeus released the tribute song "Kwiaty dla J."^[15]

In 2018, American rapper SahBabii mentioned Nujabes in his song “Anime World”. He said “RIP Nujabes, nine tails a Jinchuriki”. In an interview with XXL, SahBabii said Nujabes was an influence for him to make music.^{[citation needed]}

In 2018, American rapper Logic mentioned Nujabes in the track "Thank You" off of his album YSIV, saying "I had to write this over a Nujabes vibe", referencing the production style of the track, which is reminiscent of Nujabes' music.^[16] In 2020, Logic cited Nujabes as a key inspiration behind his production style alongside MF Doom, RZA and Kanye West in the track "Perfect" off of his album No Pressure.^[17]

On 26 July 2019, Otakon held a tribute concert in Washington, D.C., featuring Shing02, MINMI, Substantial, Marcus D and EyeQ. ^[18]

On October 21, 2020 Chester Watson released the album "A Japanese Horror Film"^[19] featuring a track titled “Nujabes”.

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

• 2003: Metaphorical Music
• 2005: Modal Soul
• 2011: Spiritual State

Compilation albums[]

• 2003: Hydeout Productions 1st Collection
• 2007: Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection
• 2008: Modal Soul Classics
• 2009: Mellow Beats, Friends & Lovers
• 2010: Modal Soul Classics II
• 2014:
• 2014:
• 2015: Luv(Sic) Hexalogy
• 2016:

Soundtrack albums[]

• 2004: Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure
• 2004: Samurai Champloo Music Record: Impression

EPs and singles[]

• 1999: Ain't No Mystery
• 2001: "Dimension Ball Tracks Volume 1"
• 2002–2013: Luv(sic) Part 1 - Part 6
• 2002: "Blessing It/The Final View"
• 2003: "Flower/After Hanabi (Listen To My Beat")
• 2003: "Next View"
• 2003: "Lady Brown"
• 2003: "F.I.L.O"
• 2003: "Still Talking To You/Steadfast"
• 2015: Perfect Circle (with Shing02)

Collaborative albums[]

• 2001: To This Union a Sun Was Born (with Substantial)
• 2003: Bullshit as Usual (with Pase Rock)

Official mixtapes[]

• 1998: Sweet Sticky Thing
• 2002: Good Music Cuisine - Ristorante Nujabes
• 2003: Tribe Sampler Vol. 1

References[]

External links[]

• Hydeout Productions
• Nujabes at Last.fm