Rest in Beats Nujabes.

Jun Seba, a Japanese producer and DJ has passed away in late February. Confirmed by his own record label on March 18, he has died in a car accident upon exiting the Shuto Expressway late at night. He was only 36 years old.

More commonly know by the name of Nujabes, he produced beats with a strong jazz influence, adding in his own mix of saxophone, guitar, piano, and flute in order to produce a warmer, more mellow track. The death of Nujabes struck a blow to the underground hip-hop scene. The first time I listened to one of his tracks it was completely different compared to anything that I have ever heard before. I would just feel so much emotion from his beats. No matter what mood I was in, there seemed to be a track that would match it. Whatever the mood was I could always turn to Nujabes. I would rely on his music to focus when I did homework, or when I had a headache and needed to relax. His music was just always there for me, always soothing. The mellow beats would always paint pictures, memories, scenarios in my head. There's only a few artists that I can never seem to get sick of no matter how many times I listen to their work and this man would definitely have to be one of them.

Listening to his music not only helped me emotionally, but it has also influenced my taste in music. Before listening to him, I was stuck in the same overall genre of music. No variety. No change. Everything was the same, snares here, bass here, and a mix of fast paced lyrics. Nujabes' music was different. You can't really predict the type of tracks that he will produce since each one of them has it's own uniqueness. From listening to him, I've expanded my playlist of music past the common mainstream music of the radio, or general hip-hop and rap and started to progress into instrumentals from such producers like J. Dilla.

Man, now that I think about it, J.Dilla died really early in his life too. So many young and talented people seem to die at an early age. It only leaves the rest of the world to wonder what they would have become, and what else they could have contributed. Nujabes touched the hearts of countless people across the world. His work has changed the lives of many and his presence will truly be missed. He brought a new style of sophistication into his work, accompanied with nostalgic undertones, he's put out some of the most beautiful tracks to emerge from the underground scene. He brought with him a real taste of hip-hop in a world of rappers talking about money and drugs. This just makes me believe more strongly that we really have to appreciate the type of people who are contributing to the world while we still can. Whether it's in music, sports, politics, etc. Before we know it they won't be with us any longer and only then will their work be honored. He was truly one of the geniuses of the music industry. You will forever be missed and always loved. Your music is just that much more meaningful to me now that I know you won't be putting out any more new tracks. Rest in peace Nujabes.