Saturday, March 20, 2010

Gone too soon, AGAIN?

"Once again, we must suffer".

It’s been confirmed that Nujabes (née Jun Seba) died last month in a car accident in Tokyo. The Japanese hip hop DJ and producer was a mere 36 years old, and passed the same day the 7.3 earthquake hit the coast of Japan on February 26th. News of his death was not made public until yesterday when his label Hydeout Productions issued a statement online. Nujabes’ family held a private burial in Japan.



The words of Shing02 (longtime collaborator),

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


On a side note, The first time I ever heard Nujabes was when my boy Chris aka Kid Fresh from GLK Clothing, thanks bro!


RIP NUJABES

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