, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, as well as incorporating elements of

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

, and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

. Seba released two studio albums during his lifetime: ''

Metaphorical Music ''Metaphorical Music'' is Nujabes' first solo album released in 2003. It offers a combination of hip hop and instrumental jazz, and features artists like Shing02, Substantial, Five Deez and Cise Starr (of CYNE). Despite the fact that the album ...

'' (2003) and ''

Modal Soul ''Modal Soul'' is the second full-length album by Japanese hip-hop artist Nujabes, released on November 11, 2005, on Nujabes' own record label Hydeout Productions. Like its predecessor, ''Metaphorical Music'', ''Modal Soul'' fuses jazzy, smooth rh ...

'' (2005), while the album ''

Spiritual State ''Spiritual State'' is the third and final studio album by Nujabes, released posthumously as a follow-up to ''Modal Soul ''Modal Soul'' is the second full-length album by Japanese hip-hop artist Nujabes, released on November 11, 2005, on Nuja ...

'' was released posthumously in 2011. He was the founder of the independent label

Hydeout Productions , better known by his stage name , 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, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, ...

and released two collection compilations: ''

Hydeout Productions 1st Collection ''Hydeout Productions 1st Collection'' is a compilation album, the first of two released by Nujabes' Hydeout Productions label. It showcases Nujabes' style of combining the music genres of hip hop and jazz, and features artists Funky DL, Apan ...

'' (2003) and '' 2nd Collection'' (2007). Additionally, Seba collaborated on the soundtrack for

Shinichirō Watanabe is a Japanese anime television and film director, best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'' and ''Samurai Champloo''. An auteur of the industry, Watanabe's work is characterized ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series ''

Samurai Champloo is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete ai ...

'' ('' Music Record: Departure'' and '' Impression'') in 2004. In 2010, Seba died in a traffic collision at the age of 36. Although relatively niche during his lifetime, Seba has since achieved posthumous acclaim and been referred as the "godfather" of

lo-fi hip hop Lofi hip hop (also known as 'chillhop'' and lofi beats to study to) is a form of downtempo music that combines elements of hip hop and chill-out music. It was popularized in the 2010s on YouTube and has been referred to as an Internet meme. Ori ...

. Seba's production techniques and career have also been compared favorably with

J Dilla J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon varia ...

Biography

Seba was born on February 7, 1974, in the

Nishi-Azabu is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, which was a part of the former Azabu Ward. Nishiazabu is bordered by Minami-Aoyama on the north and west, Hiroo (Shibuya) on the south, Moto-Azabu on the southeast, and Roppongi on the northeast. The Fuj ...

district of Minato in central

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Seba was the owner of two

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

record stores, T Records and Guinness Records, and in 1998 founded the independent record label

Career

Seba adopted the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

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

, or "chillhop". Seba collaborated with Japanese artists like

Uyama Hiroto Uyama Hiroto is a Japanese record producer, DJ, composer, arranger and close collaborator of the late Japanese DJ, record producer, composer and arranger Nujabes. His style of music is a blend of heavy downtempo and ambient-jazz influenced hip- ...

Shing02 , better known by his stage name Shing02, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, record producer, activist and investor who was described by Patrick Neate as one of the Japanese emcees who "has addressed important issues from Japanese ethnicity ...

, L-Universe, and

Minmi Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca ar ...

, and with various underground

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop acts such as

CYNE Cyne, often stylized as CYNE ("Cultivating Your New Experience"; pronounced "sign"), is an American alternative hip hop group originating from Gainesville, Florida. The group consists of MCs Akin Yai and Clyde "Cise Starr" Graham, and produce ...

, Cise Starr (as a solo apart from the hip-hop collective CYNE),

Apani B Apani N. Smith (born September 17, 1974) known professionally as Apani B. Fly, is an American hip hop emcee. In 1996 her first 12-inch single, "Estragen", was independently released and shortly followed up by several high-profile guest appeara ...

Five Deez Five Deez is an American hip hop group from Cincinnati, Ohio and a part of the Wanna Battle collective, which also includes DJ Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Rubix, and Lone Catalysts. The group consists of members: Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician ( ...

, Substantial,

CL Smooth Corey Brent Penn, Sr. (born October 8, 1968, New Rochelle, New York), known by his stage name CL Smooth, is an American rapper. He is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Career After the duo Pete Rock & CL S ...

Fat Jon Jon Marshall (born September 8, 1975), better known by his stage name Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a member of the American hip-hop group Five Deez. He is also one ha ...

Terry Callier Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American soul music, soul, Folk music, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter. Life and career Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was r ...

as well as

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 ''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 mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

a few weeks after his death. Seba was one of the most prolific contributors to the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed anime series ''

'', which blends a

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to Japanese Paleolithic, prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millenni ...

ese setting with modern

anachronisms An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...

, especially in regard to

hip hop culture Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntablis ...

such as

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

and rapping.

Death

On February 26, 2010, Seba was in a traffic collision upon exiting the

Shuto Expressway is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade-separated (elevated roads or tunnels) and central routes have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that requi ...

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 in Tokyo is the largest municipal cemetery in Japan. It is split between the cities of Fuchu and Koganei within the Tokyo Metropolis. First established in April 1923 as , it was redesignated Tama Cemetery in 1935. It is one of the largest green a ...

Legacy

Seba's death elicited many tributes from other artists around the world. On

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, 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. 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

remarked, "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." 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." In 2013,

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

producer

Ta-ku Regan Mathews, better known by his stage name Ta-ku, is an Australian musician, producer and photographer. Life and career Mathews was born and raised in the Australian city of Perth. He is half- Filipino, half-Māori. Mathews attended high ...

released the tribute album ''25 Nights for Nujabes''. In 2018, Polish rapper Zeus released the tribute song "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 Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

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. In 2020, Logic cited Nujabes as a key inspiration behind his production style alongside

MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

, RZA and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

in the track "Perfect" off of his album ''No Pressure''. On 26 July 2019,

Otakon Otakon ( ) is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. It stands for Otaku Convention. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved to ...

held a tribute concert in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, featuring

MINMI Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca ar ...

, Substantial, Marcus D and EyeQ. On October 21, 2020 Chester Watson released the album ''A Japanese Horror Film'' featuring a track titled “Nujabes”. In 2022, videogame '' Stray'' featured track ''Counting Stars'' as a part of collectible sheet music pages.

Hydeout Productions

Hydeout Productions is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

formerly run by Nujabes.

Artists

Nujabes , better known by his stage name , 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, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...

(deceased) *

* Emancipator * Kenmochi Hidefumi * Ficus (Cloud Ni9e, Kic. & HISANOVA) * Nitsua (Zack Austin) * Feng (FK) * Funky DL * L-Universe * Marcus D * Pase Rock * haruka nakamura * Shing02 * Jemapur * Substantial * Cise Starr * Monorisick (DJ Deckstream) (deceased)

Discography

Studio albums

*2003: ''

'' *2005: ''

'' *2011: ''

Compilation albums

*2003: ''

'' *2007: ''

Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection is a compilation album published by Japanese label Hydeout Productions in 2007. Mainly a Nujabes album, it features numerous other hip hop and downtempo artists including Pase Rock, Uyama Hiroto, and Shing02 , b ...

'' *2008: ''

Modal Soul Classics ''Modal Soul Classics'' is a compilation album from Japanese hip hop producer Nujabes. Though the music on this album is commonly attributed to Nujabes, none of it is composed by him; the songs on this album were only compiled and mastered by hi ...

'' *2009: ''

Mellow Beats, Friends & Lovers ''Mellow Beats, Friends & Lovers'' is a compilation album of various artists including Nujabes, Uyama Hiroto, Naoki Maeda, Dwele, Golden Boy, Sora, Takagi Masakatsu, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Rei Harakami. Track listing # Nujabes featuring Gi ...

'' *2010: '' Modal Soul Classics II'' *2014: ''

Free Soul Nujabes First Collection Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

'' *2014: ''

Free Soul Nujabes Second Collection Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

'' *2015: ''

Luv(Sic) Hexalogy Luv(Sic) Hexalogy is an album collaboration created and finalized posthumously by the Japanese producer Nujabes (Seba Jun), who died before the completion of the album, and Japanese American hip hop artist Shing02 (Shingo Annen). It is a jazz hip ...

'' *2016: ''

Kei Nishikori meets Nujabes Kei may refer to: People * Kei (given name) * Kei, Cantonese for Ji(姫) * Kei, Cantonese for Qi(奇, 祁, 亓) * Shō Kei (1700–1752), king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom * Kei (singer) (born 1995), stage name of South Korean singer Kim Ji-yeon * P ...

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

)

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''

Hydeout Productions discography

* 2001: Monorisick (DJ Deckstream) - Hydrothermal Formation * 2002:

- Good Music Cuisine Ristorante Nujabes * 2003:

* 2003:

* 2005:

* 2006: Jemapur - Dok Springs * 2005: Nujabes & DJ Ryow A.K.A Smooth Current - Hydeout Sound Lab * 2006: Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough (Japanese release only) * 2007:

* 2008:

- A Son of The Sun * 2008: Kenmochi Hidefumi - Falliccia * 2010: Various Artists - Modal Soul Classics II * 2011:

* 2013: Haruka Nakamura - Melodica * 2013: Ficus - Black Foliage * 2014: Various Artists - Free Soul Nujabes First Collection * 2014: Various Artists - Free Soul Nujabes Second Collection * 2015:

feat.

- Luv(sic) Hexalogy

References

External links

Hydeout Productions
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nujabes 1974 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Japanese musicians 21st-century Japanese musicians Chill-out musicians Hexalogies Hip hop record producers Japanese DJs Japanese hip hop musicians Japanese record producers Musicians from Tokyo Nu jazz musicians Road incident deaths in Japan Trip hop musicians Lo-fi musicians