Jun Seba, better known by his stage nameNujabes, was a Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger who produced atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop and jazz and released three solo studio albums: Metaphorical Music, Modal Soul and Spiritual State. Seba was the founder of the independent labelHydeout Productions and released two collection compilations: Hydeout Productions 1st Collection and 2nd Collection. Additionally, Seba collaborated on the soundtrack for Shinichirō Watanabe's anime seriesSamurai Champloo in 2004. On February 26, 2010, Jun Seba was killed in a traffic collision.
Seba adopted the stage name Nujabes 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. 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, 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. Seba collaborated with Shing02 on the critically acclaimed Luvhexalogy, 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. 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.
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. His grave is located within the Japanese section of Tama Cemetery.
Legacy
Seba's death has elicited many tributes from other artists around the world. On Bandcamp, the New York-based Digi Crates records have released a series of tribute albums performed by various artists in a style reminiscent of Seba's. In addition, 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 referencing select tracks from both Modal Soul and Metaphorical Music, such as the track "Music is Ours", which directly references "Music is Mine", the 5th track of Modal Soul. Frequent collaborator Shing02 has performed at many tribute concerts for Seba, and has remarked that "Through his soulful music, Nujabes has touched so many people around the world, even beyond his dreams", and " deeply regret the loss of a unique talent and a close friend." 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." In 2013, Australian producer Ta-ku released the Tribute "25 Nights for Nujabes". In 2018, Polish rapper Zeus released the Tribute "Kwiaty dla J." 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. 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. On 26 July 2019, Otakon held a tribute concert in Washington, D.C., featuring Shing02, MINMI, Substantial, Marcus D and EyeQ. Nujabes has been referred to as one of the "godfathers" of the emerging microgenre Lo-fi hip hop. In particular, his collaborations with Shing02 have been credited to have "pioneered a sound that inspired the viral 'chillhop' phenomenon, and popular YouTube programs like 'lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to.'"
