Nujabes

, born , better known by his stage name Nujabes (; ), was a Japanese music producer 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.

Seba released two studio albums during his lifetime: Metaphorical Music (2003) and Modal Soul (2005), while the album Spiritual State was released posthumously in 2011. He was the founder of the independent label Hydeout Productions and released two collection compilations: Hydeout Productions 1st Collection (2003) and 2nd Collection (2007). Additionally, Seba collaborated on the soundtrack for Shinichirō Watanabe's anime series Samurai Champloo (Music Record: Departure and Impression) in 2004.

Seba was an intensely private person and was a reluctant public figure throughout his career, who wanted the focus to be on his music and not on himself. He avoided interviews, promotional activities and so few were his photos that many fans were not even sure what he looked like.

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.

Life and career

1974–1998: Early life and career beginnings Seba was born as Jun Yamada on February 7, 1974, in the Nishi-Azabu district of Minato in central Tokyo, Japan. He grew up in eastern Tokyo.

Seba's father worked for the National Tax Agency, but was an amateur jazz pianist and exposed him to music at a young age. Seba dabbled in music-making since high school and studied design at the Nihon University College of Art. Then, under the moniker Dimention Ball, he started making his own beats and pressing them into vinyl to sell in the store.

Between 2001 and 2004 he collaborated with Nao Tokui, an artist and AI technology researcher, on a shared project called URBANFOREST. Despite spending many days together over the years, experimenting with Max software and listening to new music, they only finished one track together, "Rotary Park", one of Seba's most experimental works.

2003: 1st collection and Metaphorical Music In April 2003, Seba put together a compilation album from songs produced by Hydeout Productions, Hydeout Productions 1st Collection, which featured artists such as Funky DL, Apani B. Fly, Substantial, Shing02, L-Universe, Pase Rock, Five Deez, Uyama Hiroto, and Cise Starr.

In August 2003, Seba released his debut studio album, Metaphorical Music. Recorded and mixed in Seba's private Park Avenue Studio, the album's initial release was modest, with recognition growing significantly in later years, to eventually become a cult classic. This is where he met rapper Fat Jon, who would become a friend, collaborator, and strong influence on Seba's later work. it was critically acclaimed and developed a cult following in the West, partially due to its soundtrack which was widely praised and was ranked by IGN as tenth among their Top Ten Anime Themes and Soundtracks of All Time. To this project Seba contributed some of the most popular tracks: the opening theme "Battlecry" (another collaboration with Shing02), "Aruarian Dance", which spread virally through the internet, and "Departure" and "Impression" which became seminal works for lo-fi hip hop artists.

In 2007 Seba released another compilation album, Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection. The album featured some of his most recurring collaborators such as Pase Rock, Uyama Hiroto, and Shing02,

Around 2009, another compilation album would be licensed by Hydeout, Mellow Beats, Friends & Lovers, and released through Universal Music. During this time as well, Seba was very active on the social media platform MySpace and would come into contact with Marcus D and Zack Austin (aka Nitsua) who was later signed on to the label to release a debut album, The Art of Music. Seba would continue work on his own upcoming album as well as help Austin to release his up until his death. Because of how involved and how unexpected Seba's death was, The Art of Music got scrapped with parts of it being released years later through Austin's own label, Visioneternal, by means of an EP, B-Sides Unreleased Material, and his debut album Dayscapes. Seba is buried in Tama Cemetery, Tokyo.

His death interrupted work on his third studio album, Spiritual State, and his decade-long collaboration with Shing02, the Luv(sic) hexalogy, both of which have been completed posthumously by his friends and collaborators.

Spiritual State Spiritual State features work from some of Seba's classic collaborators like Pase Rock, Substantial, Cise Starr, and Uyama Hiroto, as well as introducing Haruka Nakamura. The tracks featuring vocals focus on encouraging messages, touching on themes of perseverance and pursuing one's aspirations. The track was completed once again in the Kamakura studio, and then released on February 26, 2013, on the third anniversary of Seba's death.

Recognition and legacy Seba was an underground figure in Japan's hip hop scene and was virtually unknown in the West until the success of Samurai Champloo, which propelled his popularity both in Japan and, especially, abroad.

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". 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.

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. Several other tribute albums and songs have been released: the 2013 tribute album 25 Nights for Nujabes by Australian hip-hop producer Ta-ku; "Kwiaty dla J", a 2018 tribute song by Polish rapper Zeus; and the track "Nujabes" from American rapper Chester Watson's 2020 album, A Japanese Horror Film.

In 2016 Kei Nishikori, a Japanese professional tennis player, released a compilation album titled Kei Nishikori meets Nujabes that features his favorite pieces from Seba's repertoire. The album reached number 44 on Billboard Japans Hot Albums chart. and in "Perfect" from his 2020 album No Pressure, where Seba was cited as a major inspiration in his production style. Seba was 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.

The 2022 adventure video game Stray features the song "Cool Down" inspired by Seba's track "Counting Stars".

Personal life Seba had generally been described as humble, quiet, calm, unassuming, and shy. He also was considered to have strong passions for food Seba is survived by his wife and daughter. "Ordinary Joe" (2005) "Reflection Eternal" (2005) "Counting Star" (2007) "Another Reflection" (2007) "Hikari" (2007) "Imaginary Folklore" (2007) "Sky is Falling" (2007) "Spiritual State" (2011) "City Lights" (2011) "Dawn on the Side" (2011) "Sky is Tumbling" (2011) Perfect Circle (with Shing02) (2015) "Other Side of Phase" (2024), JPN Sales #35

Hydeout Productions discography Nujabes - Sweet Sticky Thing (1999) Substantial - To This Union a Sun Was Born (2001) Monorisick - Hydrothermal Formation (2001) Nujabes - Good Music Cuisine Ristorante Nujabes (2002) Pase Rock - Bullshit as Usual (2003) Nujabes - Hydeout Productions 1st Collection (2003) Nujabes - Metaphorical Music (2003) Nujabes - Modal Soul (2005) Jemapur - Dok Springs (2006) Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough (Japanese release only) (2006) Nujabes - Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection (2007) Various Artists - Modal Soul Classics (2008) Uyama Hiroto - A Son of The Sun (2008) Kenmochi Hidefumi - Falliccia (2008) Nujabes - Mellow Beats, Friends & Lovers (2009) Various Artists - Modal Soul Classics II (2010) Nujabes - Spiritual State (2011) Haruka Nakamura - Melodica (2013) Ficus - Black Foliage (2013) Various Artists - Free Soul Nujabes First Collection (2014) Various Artists - Free Soul Nujabes Second Collection (2014) Nujabes feat. Shing02 - Luv(sic) Hexalogy (2015) Haruka Nakamura - Nujabes Pray Reflections (2021)