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, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, breakbeat, downtempo, and ambient music.
In 2010, Seba died in a traffic collision at the age of 36.[2] Although relatively niche during his lifetime, Seba has since achieved posthumous acclaim and been referred as the "godfather" of lo-fi hip hop. Seba's production techniques and career have also been compared favorably with J Dilla, who was born on the same day.[3]
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 lo-fi hip hop, or "chillhop".[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]
On February 26, 2010, Seba was involved in a traffic collision when he was leaving the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo: he was taken to a hospital in Shibuya Ward, where he was pronounced dead after efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.[9][10] Seba was buried in Tama Cemetery, Tokyo.
Legacy and influence
After his death, frequent collaborator Shing02 paid tribute to Seba, saying he was "a unique talent", "a close friend", and that "he [had] touched so many people around the world, even beyond his dreams".[11] He has since performed at several tribute concerts for Seba, including at the anime convention Otakon in 2019, along with artists such as musician Minmi and rapper Substantial.[12]
On November 11, 2010, his label released a tribute compilation album, Modal Soul Classics II, featuring previous collaborators and covers and remixes of his songs.[13] Several other tribute albums and songs have been released: the 2013 tribute album 25 Nights for Nujabes by Australian hip-hop producer Ta-ku;[14] "Kwiaty dla J", a 2018 tribute song by Polish rapper Zeus;[15] and the track "Nujabes" from American rapper Chester Watson's 2020 album, A Japanese Horror Film.[16]
Seba has been mentioned in two songs by American rapper Logic: in the track "Thank You" from his 2018 album YSIV, which was written "over a Nujabes vibe",[17] and in "Perfect" from his 2020 album No Pressure, where Seba was cited as a major inspiration in his production style.[18] Seba has also mentioned by American rapper SahBabii in his 2018 song "Anime World", with the rapper stating in an interview that he admired Seba's music.[19]
Seba's track "Counting Stars" featured in the 2022 adventure video game Stray as part of collectible sheet music pages.
