R.I.P. Jun Seba b.k.a. Nujabes

19 Mar 2010 2 Comments

by Wise in Life..., Lyrical Therapy, Matters of the Heart, Sounds of the Soul Tags: jun seba, Nujabes, rip

RIP Jun Seba (February 19, 1974 - February 26, 2010)

Sad news has been revealed to the Underground Hip-Hop scene. Today, Hydeout Productions revealed that Japanese Hip-Hop producer and co-composer of the soundtrack to popular anime, Samurai Champloo, passed away on February 26th, 2010. His label released that he was involved in a car accident in Tokyo and attempts to revive him failed.

This is quite sad news for me, personally. Though I didn’t know Nujabes personally, his music was, and continues to be, a source of inspiration to me. Whether it was listening to his work on the Samurai Champloo OST or listening to his production for artists such as Shing02, Funky DL, Substantial, Cyne, and more, I always felt a sense of peace while listening to Nujabes.

To lose such a visionary in music is a great blow, especially to the international & independent Hip-Hop scene. I really can’t think of many words to say about this man, but I do wish to dedicate two poems to him, both of which I wrote. One of these was actually inspired & written to Nujabes’ World Without Words. And he truly showed people that you can craft a world without words.

Music

The music’s the drug that keeps
my heart beatin’ strong & helps
to ease all the pain & the wrongs
that lie deep in my soul. Let it be
known that it keeps my body
from going numb & my mind
from going dumb. It soothes &
comforts me in my moment of
greatest need & wraps me in
wonderful notes that nothing can
exceed. It keeps me on a high
without smokin’ the pipe & takes
me away to the greatest heights.
Escapin’ to the foreign lands with
the beats in my head, seein’
Africa, Europe, Asia, and back
to America before I set out to
Space, seein’ the lovely faces as
I walk on by, wipe a tear from the
eye as I see the joy & the pain in
their eyes. Different people all
over the world, yet similar
struggles that they all have to
face. And through the music, it
helps me connect to their hearts
& souls, see the beauty in the
world & watch as life continues
to grow and unfurl. Take me up
through the atmosphere, up to
the moon where the sky is clear.
Bright stars shining, twinklin’ in
rhythm with the music that
echoes through space & time,
bringin’ peace to my mind,
making me feel so connected to
you, we’re dancin’ under the sun
before landin’ back on Earth,
musical melody intertwining our
souls, the hearts of the world
now beating to the same rhythm,
the musical tide risin’ to an all-
time high as life keeps on
flowing, takin’ my Lows 2 High,
so sweet, so smooth, I caress
the tune, lettin’ all the stress go
as the music starts to flow,
losin’ me in it’s rhythms as my
dreams take flight & soar to new
heights, releasing my soul &
takin’ me home to you. The
music is my connection to the
world. It sets me free & tells me
to be me and lets me see what
you see and lets you see what I
see. The music is my friend, the
only one that’s by my side all the
time when I need it to be, cuz
I’ve been let down many times by
the people I call friends but once
I get home & start to pump up
the bass, the music takes me
away, comforts me & cools me
down before I explode, easin’ me
into a chill state of mind with the
beats & the rhymes as sleep
starts to come & cover my eyes.
Slowly fallin into slumber as the
music takes the place of my bed
with a nice bedbeat to rest my
head. Music is my truest friend.

World Without Words

World Without Words,
images are abound
life amazes
confounds
& surrounds.
senses overblown,
left
right
up
down
swept off the feet
by a soft breeze
cool rain tingles
and pleases the body,
so amazin’.
heartbeat pounds,
a nice low sound.
emotions runnin’ high
feelin’ able to fly.
soul takes over
as mind shuts down.
moon shines bright,
ever-lastin’ light.
bathin’ the earth,
forever so right.
eternal love,
much like a dove,
beautiful
serene
& divine.
so calm,
the world at rest
peaceful
so clear,
thoughts for you to hear
but in a language
far greater than tongue.
it soothes
caresses
& moves you
so sweet,
a soft beat,
invadin’ the minds
to bring peaceful times.
this one’s for you,
no blood
no dead.
just a simple beat
for an extraordinary feat.
spreadin’ a message of peace
to those who will hear.
destroyin’ all fear
& makin’ the picture quite clear.

words not needed,
just love & peace
and a simple beat
to make life complete.

words not needed,
just love & peace
and a simple beat
to make life complete.

RIP Jun Seba, b.k.a. Nujabes. Forever you’ll live on, through memory, spirit, & song. Please take the time to read the letter from rapper Shing02, a close friend of Nujabes & leave your thoughts in the comment box. Jun Seba aka Nujabes, Rest in Peace – 2010 til Infinity. And tune in to my show this coming Sunday night from 11PM to 2AM. I’m going to try my hardest to make it a special tribute show for Nujabes. I’ll be on WKNC 88.1 FM Raleigh, or you can find it on the web at wknc.org/listen. So please tune in as we pay respects to one of the best musicians to have graced Hip-Hop, and music in general.

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