Rest in Peace Jun Seba ♥

 Rest In Peace ♥

Nujabes was not a mainstream artist. He was a very private, independent soul from Japan that collaborated hip-hop and jazz in such a way that opened up my ears. I, like many of my fellow Americans of his cult following, were not aware of his passing. The news hit me today, and it hit hard. My Facebook & Twitter newstreams were flooded with messages of love and mourning for him.

Slowly, as more and more of the Japanese news pages are translated we learn more details on his death and prospective projects. From Wikipedia: On February 26th, 2010, Jun Seba was involved in a fatal car accident (the same day Japan experienced a 7.3 earthquake). He was 36 years old. His family had a private burial in Shimeyaka. Hydeout Productions has stated that although Nujabes has passed away, he left music behind to continue his legacy and will be released in the near future.

A message from Shing02 [original post: here]

March 17th, 2010

Today, I have very somber news for the international hip hop community, especially fans of the independent hip hop scene, and those who have followed my career.
It has been announced that Jun Seba, aka Nujabes, Japanese hip hop producer extraordinaire, passed away late February. Official statement from the label (in Japanese) here:
http://hydeout.net/hydeout/2010/03/_hydeoutproductions.html
We deeply regret the loss of a unique talent and a close friend. Through his soulful music, Nujabes has touched so many people around the world, even beyond his dreams. He was a mysterious character to most as he avoided the public limelight, rarely conducted interviews, so only a few got to know the man behind the signature production. Yet it continued to amaze me how young listeners of all backgrounds learned of his enigmatic name, and expressed support for his music.
As I write now from Japan, I had been leaving him messages the past couple of weeks, trying to get in the studio together, so the news could not have come any more unexpected. Even last week, I passed by his house and called him thinking he was still home.
I met Nujabes around 2000 and as an upcoming MC, I was fortunate to work on tracks such as Battlecry, F.I.L.O, Luv(sic) parts 1, 2 and 3. We had been working on the next trilogy of Luv(sic) over the past year (which we're determined to see through). The last time we talked in January, Nujabes emailed me to wish Jeff Resurreccion, a 19-year old beatboxer who had just passed way from cancer, his heartfelt condolences.
While we continue to respect the privacy of his family, we will work to preserve his legacy, and pay tribute to the body of work, some unreleased, that he has left for us to enjoy. Jun Seba will be dearly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and fans worldwide.

in peace,
Shing02

the track that made me fall in love with Nujabes and Shing02? found below.

I guess... I don't really have anything else to say. I'm just in so much shock. Mourning the death of an artist may seem frivolous to some, but music moves my soul. I can only hope that his beats continue to expand across the globe and give positive vibes/emotions/love as his music has done for me. I'm blasting your beats all day long today with much sorrow in my heart. See you on the other side Jun.

one love.