The Father of LoFi Hip-Hop: Nujabes Jun Seba

By Spencer Wong

At the beginning of middle school, I never really thought about music, and that was mostly because I only ever listened to the radio. I didn’t really enjoy what was on the radio, so I never really thought about listening to music on my own. But when I first heard a song by Nujabes, I never expected that I would love listening to music. 

I was with my brother on the car ride home, and he was telling me to check out this song he liked from an artist called Nujabes. I wasn’t really interested in music, but I was curious because he really wanted me to hear it,  so I decided to just listen along with him. While listening, I felt something that I’d never felt before. The music moved me, it felt unique, and for some reason I felt special. Before this, I never really liked any songs in particular. This was the first time I honestly enjoyed listening to music, and it was Nujabes that sparked my interest. 

Nujabes was a musician named Jun Seba who was born on February 7, 1974 in Nishi-azabu district in Tokyo. He was a Japanese artist that created beats for songs. He was known as the father of lofi hip-hop because he was one of the first people to popularize this genre of music, and lots of artists ended up taking inspiration from him with the style of music he was using. He was a producer that made songs with many artists and also made soundtracks for TV shows. One of his most popular soundtrack songs was Aruarian Dance, which was used in the anime Samurai Champloo. 

After listening to Nujabes for a few months, surprisingly, the song “Feather” really made me want to analyze it because of how unique it was to me. This song is meaningful because it reminds me of how I got into music, of the artist that led me to enjoy and appreciate the effort and time that went into writing songs. The lyrics of “Feather” were composed by Cise Starr, Akin Yai and Nujabes. I really enjoy the lyrics and the sounds of “Feather”. In particular, I find the positive message inspiring, especially when the lyrics encourage listeners to go “Driftin’ away like a feather in air, Lettin’ my words take me away from the hurt and despair”. Also, the message is not to just leave a painful state but also to go to a better place, encouraging that listeners are “keepin’ it vertical forever elevator Ridin’ the escalator to the somethin’ that is greater.”  These lyrics inspire people to do things that they have never done before and also try to stand out in this world. 

The song grabbed my attention with its use of rhyming words. It  impresses me how many rhymes the artist fits in a single line. He uses rhymes to convey his message while keeping the listener hooked to the song with the accompanying beats. The beats give the rhymes a unique feeling as it provides a rhythm to the words and creates its own feeling aside from the musical aspects of the song.  Word choice also creates a strong effect along with rhymes and beats. For example, using “air” and rhyming it with “despair” combines a word that has a sense of freedom with one that comes with a feeling of being trapped.  At the same time,  using “elevator” to rhyme with “greater” to represent a positive direction somewhere helps smoothly transition the meaning to progress.

Nujabes is also known for making his “love(sic)” song series, which also contains one of my favorite songs. Part 2 and 3 of the “love(sic)” series are my favorite, and in those songs, his artist collaborator was also known to rhyme. The lyrics in these songs connect with real world experiences such as dealing with personal problems and how people can live a fuller life. 

I would really recommend any of the “love(sic)” songs by Nujabes along with my favorite “Feather”. These songs are my personal favorites, but the best song in my opinion is probably “love(sic) part 2”. I feel like the “love(sic)” series are one of the best albums that he has ever made.

Nujabes inspired in me a new passion for music and also inspired a whole new musical genre of lofi hip hop that millions enjoy today.