The Most Influential Hiphop Producer You’ve Never Heard Of

[@PureDarkAngelSkillz]

?? feel like he was pretty well known, especially if you know anything about lofi at all. Sure "most" people haven't heard of him, but most people wouldn't be able to tell you members of bands that they listen to a lot as well.

[@AmenDuggal]

Hey! I just wanted to address this as it seems like a lot of people have a similar criticism. Now a lot of the people who will click on this video, know who Nujabes is, but theirs a lot of people who obviously have no idea who he is. My Story Editor in fact, had never heard of Nujabes before. A bunch of my friends included. And these are people who are also somewhat invested in internet culture and Hiphop. I think I personally know one other person who knows who he is and is a fan of his music. I apologize if the title rubbed anyone the wrong way. The intro, title and thumbnail is set up in a way so either, Someone who knows nothing about Nujabes, but likes HipHop. A fan of Nujabes Or someone who nothing about Nujabes or HipHop Will want to watch the video. I totally understand how the title could be seen as a little over the top and dramatic, even a little clickbait-y, but my ultimate goal here was to reach as many people as possible and introduce them to Nujabes, his music, and his story. I appreciate the feedback! And thank you for watching. Amen

[@Joseph-R]

@@AmenDuggal I think this is fair. For as popular of a genre rap/hiphop is, he's really only known to the people who go deeper into "underground" (for lack of a better word) hiphop territory or ended up watching Samurai Champloo and liked the soundtrack lol.

[@mrt445]

​@@AmenDuggal Bro, don't worry. Yes Nujabes was well known maybe even more so than most producers today but this was a really well made and researched video that was enjoyable for us to watch even though we already knew who he was. The title of the video is a non issue.

[@quadling3521]

@@AmenDuggalI love hip hop and hip hop history, but I haven’t heard about this guy until today when I saw this video after remembering the Samurai Champloo opening existed and was great and looked it up. And it was way less Nas/boom bap derived than I remembered. I’ve only really ever focused on artists in the American scene. And from the documentaries and books I’ve watched/read on hip hop history, I don’t think I’m alone in being interested in this but not really knowing about influences coming from other countries. I’ve always seen them as being kind of creating their own thing that didn’t have much influence beyond their own country (I’m Australian and this is how it is here - the sound is a lot brighter and you don’t hear Aussie or Kiwi influences in other counties much, not even Iggy Azalea took any influence from it). So, I’m kind of the exact person this video was for and I appreciate you making it!

[@tarekben5524]

I don't get why you label him under lo-fi stuff. Ffs...

[@REVOIRREVOLVE]

Went to his Brother Ramen shop in shibuya a few weeks ago while I was in Japan with my wife. You can see his Nujabes vinyl pinned to the wall with his Signature on the side. Nao-san(Nujabes Brother) saw the Nujabes shirt that I wore, he smiles and continue working. Its very interesting after his passing a decade later his legacy is everlasting, the best in the medium and on position with J. Dilla. Rest In Beats

[@mioscoots1124]

mind if i ask what the shops name was?

[@Official-OpenAI]

What an experience. I'm jealous

[@REVOIRREVOLVE]

@@mioscoots1124 it’s called Usagi Ramen, its in Shibuya

[@yiddzin7318]

Man, Nujabes sounded like a really cool dude to hang around. It's not that he owned a records shop he was able to connect with these international rappers but it is the great personality that attracted and kept them around for the long run.

[@SirAuron777]

Honestly if we’re keeping it real, it was both, but good thing he had both

[@Joseph-R]

"it's important to know that for the musicians who love what he does and is inspired by him, the way you honor his memory is not by emulating him and do what he's already done, it's you finding what inspires you and create something new.. because there's only one Nujabes like there's only one of you". Such a great message.

[@yurkdawg]

"Guinness Records" has to be the coolest name for a record shop I have ever heard. (Sorry to post something similar on a different video; but I cannot stop thinking about how the dual meanings coupled with a sense of humor says so much about the wit and soul of the man....all that from 2 words!)

[@itsdavidmora]

Just gonna drop it here, for everyone else: at 0:54 Amen literally found the original magazine from some random person in Japan, then waited weeks for it to arrive just to get that shot. Dedication to research is unparalleled!

[@Rayhaku808]

This is the perfect video to show to my lil brother. Nujabes' music and legacy gotta be passed down. Thank you for this video man.

[@SirAuron777]

Man, a movie about Nujabes would be cool af. Even if it’s just shown on a streaming platform and not in theaters. Like a biopic, but not too dramatized if you get what I mean. Also great vid, high quality for someone with close to 5k subs

[@mr559]

So well put together and including so much of the people he worked with.

[@arielbrunobircz2305]

best youtube video about Nujabes

[@hugazo]

Dude, this beauty needs more views!

[@kathrynlebda780]

This was so interesting! This video was so well done.

[@PHOENIX2001]

kind of a bittersweet ending on how his life was cut short from the accident. I legit think that Seba Jun-san would of brought more into the light on his music and the whole genre of lo-fi/chill hop

[@pastense]

DJ Krush, DJ Honda, Kemuri Productions, the whole Uehara movement….I was into all these hip-hop heavyweights before Nujabes came around. I didn’t care too much about his work as much as I did for the names mentioned. Rest in peace to Jun. But why does it take losing a life to get more recognition than the ones who did it before him and are still ALIVE? I’m not trying to call a dead man “overrated”. I’m just saying, how bout giving some flowers to the existing legends from Japan that have done it better and longer.

[@thecraft56674]

nujabes and mf doom probably cooking the most fire song ever in heaven

[@thaevildoer]

great video rest in peace nujabes

[@vr.caballero]

Great video 🙌🏽 Pure love and appreciation for Nujabes and his work!

[@ZELDBONIC]

Thanks for this video, this way his story can reach more people and his legacy will prevail. Absolute Legend

[@samkelomvelase9328]

Seba Jun needs an anime inspired by him😭

[@gregoryallen0001]

omg APANI B

[@sogeking935]

Happy 50th birthday to Nujabes💓

[@bubak4960]

at this point, everybodys heard of jun seba

[@ChineseProduct]

What is the track that comes on at 1:42?

[@RealSpacial]

goated producer, goated video 🐐🐐

[@adianmarlar8740]

song in the background? at 21:41?

[@qxpn9220]

Damn … after discovering nujabes in the samurai champloo comment section someone said he passed then I googled and it was true. I started listening to his music from there on for 2 years and when I came across this video and finished it… it reminded me that he REALLY is not here with us. That’s a shame but fortunately his music is forever ❤️‍🩹🤞

[@ED-cl7nl]

wtf is this title bro

[@Lagchunk]

The amount of hate he gets is weird. Mainly from Dilla fans.

[@re4796]

They should realize they have no enemies.

[@noobish]

wasnt dilla the dude that inspired lofi hip hop

[@mixtapenerd]

American artist influence all hip hop of course - but It was (probably) the whole lot of the Samurai Champloo crew (Tsuchie, who's Japanese, Fat Jon, who's American [?]) in retrospect, the anime connection, instrumental hip hop and animation, 4-chan boards, adult swim (apparently, I never saw/heard it) so there's a lot in the mix - but there's no doubt Nujabes had a massive influence on "Lo-fi" for better or worse - I see it in every other video intro now, and it's kind of like the 'muzak' of the 21st century, some of it is just banal. but it's like any other genre, some of it's great, some of it sucks. It's interesting for me, being a long-time fan of hip hop and anime since the mid 90s, and anime music and Japanese pop in general is pretty awful with a few exceptions which are frankly exceptional (Yoko Kanno for example, and much of the amazing orchestral composers). There's not a lot of hip hop in anime except for Infinite Ryvius which I came across fifteen years ago.

[@cosmo5179]

Fun fact: Nujabes and Jay Dee share the exact same birtday and year

[@thaevildoer]

rip two legends

[@jjk7255]

died the same year too, it was truly music of the time.

[@hugoevans1465]

Thank u for making this dope vid, Thank u so much🙏 Luv from a 10-year-old Nujabeats big fan🙏

[@LadyHavana74]

*"REST IN ETERNAL BEATS, MR JUN" 💯*

[@KHanzo]

Became a fan 15 years ago or so and have witnessed the Lo-fi movement desperately chase his flow and impact. They never will.

[@Official-OpenAI]

I'm Japanese and a big fan of Nujabes, but I also appreciate Lo-fi for taking on the impact it causes on the world; something Nujabes can't do anymore, unfortunately.

[@VikasBector]

Yo, great video my man! This man's music got me through college, and he died just a few months after I graduated. I was crushed when I heard the news. I've never seen a more informative video on him, or one with such production quality. Subscribed!

[@sdfhhh3r]

Pretending like najubes is “unheard” of is so funny ☠️☠️☠️☠️

[@griffinmaraan3101]

We know him but do kids or most young people who listen to rap?

[@mixtapenerd]

Yeah, it's kind of borderline clickbaity and made me cringe a bit but it's a good vid and good enough title for the young 'uns who are for better or worse gonna be the future of KZbin with everyone's shrivelling attention spans...

[@tdolan500]

I hadn’t heard of him before last week, it was actually a reference I picked up from someone eating at his brothers ramen place in Tokyo.

[@Not_a_Femboy._.]

"Najubes" come on man😭

[@Kirbysdead]

@@mixtapenerdI mean to be fair the reason we all know about him is because we’re passionate about hip hop. For anyone that isn’t looking or anyone that might just be passing through the genre, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that people might not have heard of him before.

[@muffledpotat0245]

Amazing video, really easy and enjoyable to watch and super informative. The amount of video snippets, interviews, magazines - man the quality of research is out of the park. Really impressive how cohesive yet fast paced it is, something I find these types of videos struggle with. Again, amazing documentary you've put together here. Peace!

[@sherardpayne4299]

I'm pretty sure that if Nujabes was still alive today he would be happy proud and appreciated with what his collaboraters are already doing for him on his behalf although he's no longer here with us forever rest in peace Nujabes gone but never forgotten 1974-2010 🙂🙏😇

[@Rayantjhu]

Crazy how good this video is and the amount of views it got right now, criminally underrated.

[@JohnnyP414]

Crazy how this is bot posting this

[@Rayantjhu]

@@JohnnyP414 What makes you think I'm a bot, Johnny?

[@BasperMarshall]

Jesus christ i looked at the release date I'm just shocked how badly i needed this type of documentary bout Nujabes itself and his history. Great Video, thank you so much ❤

[@thePinoyBOT]

EXCELLENT video to create the substance and stories Nujabes was trying to portray throughout his lifetime. One of my best friends introduced me to Nujabes in college in '16 and now he's my go-to whenever I feel low or I'm processing the loss of a loved one. His influence will always stick with me and I'll make sure my future kids will jam out to his tracks!! 🐐

[@alpaykasal2902]

This was really well done. Thank you. RIP Nujabes.

[@Bompu369]

such strong research thank you for honoring nujabes memory and allowing us to discover his story so vividly

[@mario-kidd]

loved this video. amazing job in the editing

[@Kevin93til]

So here's a wild one for y'all, L Universe aka Verbal was an emcee that has been featured on some Nujabes tracks. L Universe is also one of the Teriyaki Boyz known best for the song Tokyo Drift. Nujabes and Tokyo Drift are separated by one dude. Also, Verbal did a song with Lupe Fiasco which is another weird fact. Nujabes and Lupe Fiasco would have been wild especially back in the mid 2000's.

[@pungentzeus]

You’ll go viral soon dude great job

[@realdbh]

Great video. I really enjoy how varied the topics and presentation are across your channel. Keep up the good work, I always look forward to your uploads

[@MCKLstorm]

Funky DL, Stan, and pase on Five deez are all so fire on their own if you havent listen to all of Koolmotor, Adultish, and I am Rueben they are all so great.

[@jedimind505]

May you do a documentary about a producer who goes by the name of stoupe the enemy of mankind?

[@PlumeriaObtusa]

Its interesting the fact that he search trough Brazilian music to get the most of this nostalgia vibe, cause, our music can be resumed a lot in one feeling, one sentiment that have unic word to represent the missing time, person or thing: Saudade. "Saudade" is a feeling of lack. Its a bittersweet feeling of missing something close to your heart. But it isn't always sad, or better saying, it hasn't to be. I'll always love this artistic romance between Brazil and Japan cultures 🇧🇷♥️🇯🇵

[@inkyoggy]

this is an incredible video bro. a tribute to a legend. thank you for this🔥

[@urface640]

Yeah dude u gotta be pretty underground to know him. It's why his most popular video on youtube ONLY has like what, 17 million views?

[@pungentzeus]

I never got into him but I remember the nujabes worship online in like 2008 era innanet

[@greysenporter7477]

I don't usually comment much, but this video was amazing stuff.

[@locario13]

I've been a Nujabes fan since the Samurai Champloo anime days which I have the soundtrack CDs. I have a mp3 player with a vast majority of Nujabes tracks, which I still listen to. I got chills watching some of the footages of Nujabes on the turntable. This is truly a great video, thank you for sharing.

[@luvyuubeats]

Hey man I really appreciate your work on this video documentary. Keep it up

[@JohnnyP414]

So many fake bot accounts here. "Wow thank you for the fast paced content about (insert variable)". "Wow you are underrated thank 4 video". Nujabes is famous af you if you actually listen to music. Garbage clickbait. I made it to the part where some voiceover start going on about how having a part of a home be dedicated to a studio was a new and groundbreaking concept.

[@Michael-tw9pn]

Man I’ve listened to nujabes since 2006 latitude remix and feather ft cise starr were the first 2 songs that made me look into more of his work. Thanks for uploading this video it gave us a better insight of how he became famous

[@chanderson93]

Amazing video brother 👏 Nujabes Rest In Beats ❤

[@DiggyT]

Nujabes was making history changing music

[@yoyopoplondon]

Wow - as a long time fan this is a great mini doc with a lot of research gone into it. The video title doesn't do it justice. This goes way deeper than the 'lofi' focus of most youtube content. Learnt a lot... Thank you! I saw you had a few photos up of him in a Starving Artists Crew t-shirt. A really dope hip hop group from Detroit - he brought them over to Japan for a tour in 2004. DJ Phizyx from the group has a blog site that talks all about it. Including a beat nujabes gave for them that later found its way onto Spiritual State. That album was definitely a mixed bag... some great stuff but also some unfinished that maybe should have stayed in the archives. Also there's a good interview with Shing02 on the House List podcast where he talks about Nujabes moving away from hip hop towards a more house sound in the time before he died. He felt his sound was being copied too much and was no longer fresh. Sad to hear but I'm not surprised! Also would be good to find out more about his Tokyo record shop Guinness and record label Tribe which released some really great stuff by other artists. His Hyde Out Productions Collections albums and the Modal Soul Classics compilation are also brilliant.

[@mystory2914]

Wonderful video, the best collection of Nujabes history i've seen so far. Thanks for this.

[@almaidatos]

I will take the bait: He is not underground as of 2024.

[@___aZa___]

i fucking hate it, that the best / most influential artists have to die young. R.I.P. Nujabes.

[@ricardoborunda]

So happy to see Nujabes legacy still going :)

[@tymoteusznh]

awesome video. rest in peace nujabes

[@SamHoks-m6b]

Wilson James Jones Frank Brown Richard

[@SHAAADOWWW794]

i mean J dilla influenced Him hard , so how can he be most influential ? :D

[@Cardboardgrinch]

Legend. Pure vibe. Pure love for his music.

[@johnnwith2ns464]

its so funny because everybody knows nujabes and his impact but mfs new to the scene think that him and DOOM werent already called the goats 😂

[@johnnwith2ns464]

yes i brang DOOM into the convo because people still think that he’s “underrated”

[@griffinmaraan3101]

Song at 3:30?

[@sv360_]

ode to nujabes by funky DL

[@Duutch]

The most influential pop artist you've never heard of: Michael Jackson

[@jacobabarrera]

what song was playing at 3:43???

[@re4796]

Hey man please don't use AI video

[@Takihiki]

he and his style is still underground

[@aebidaization]

Thankyou. Thankyou. Thankyou for putting this out. This felt so organic and so realz especially with actual interview footage. Thankyou so much I have always been a fan of nujabes and yes, i discovered him through samurai champloo. I have loved his music and it really speaks to the listener about him as a person and as an idea. Thankyou, really!😭😭😭

[@luigisansone630]

Thank you, you showed me completely the genius who was, and the genuine personality that he always had, shing says a real truth fact: when you're listwnijg at his beat is like you come so forward and then look back" nostalgia... nujabes will be forever in my heart and my music, love and peace, nujabes❤

[@DowoBeatdown]

Alfateha for Jun

[@lusidrain]

Brilliant video

[@SleepEnjoyer-g1h]

Great work

[@leboubr]

you're so underated

[@PepTwo]

The emotional roller coaster when I found his music by accident, listen to A LOT of them and then knowing he passed away really hits me back then.

[@JoshuaAMG]

Great work

[@mpumimagqazana428]

Feeling so sad after watching and learning of the ways he lived and connected with people through music... Death be not proud😢

[@FGoalkeeper7]

Does anyone know the name of the song on 3:39 ?

[@miguelb.3430]

Ode To Nujabes - Funky DL

[@antenaparamutante2097]

Great job man!

[@rakanakl4054]

The goat 🐐 redefined hip-hop

[@isaaclee5897]

amazing video bro, rest in beats

[@scirazzbrehh]

idk who was driving or what happen but please drive safe for yourself and others we literally lost a legend unfortunately I didnt listen to his music when he was alive ( I was a child ) every time I put on his music (which is everyday) I just wonder what would he have been making if he was still here with us, I get so excited and filled with emotion listening to his music I forget their won't be any new release and that sh*t hurts alot

[@mixtapenerd]

After watching this and you want to hear Nujabes sounds, I've compiled a 9 hour anthology of Nujabes related music arranged into 7 parts, Nujabes originals, a few sampled songs, tributes, covers and remixes. 魂の瀬葉淳 | Soul of Seba Jun ヌジャベス | Nujabes Mixtape Anthology: kzbin.info/aero/PL6RZ6f6IsuOWjVEXgUYnBt-CkZzrVivoj Thanks for making this, there aren't enough comprehensive documentaries around.

[@Yumyqoia]

Nujabes helps me a lot with my depression and when stuff goes crazy, being 15 isn’t easy. But skating late at night and listening to him helps me feel better and kinda transcends me if you can say it.

[@TurncoatTony]

I have friends that don't even listen to hip hop that know who he was. :D

[@thirion1850]

The beats of my childhood. RIP.

[@OneLongQuest]

But I've heard of him... for many years

[@sukkar_and_spice]

What a legend 😤

[@slainthemaid]

have heard of em

[@gunnaschanelbag]

what are your thoughts on Yung Lean’s influence on hip-hop?

[@drago_024]

Absolutely beautiful video.