![]() The first is “Eclipse,” featuring a contribution from rapper Substantial. The next song I want to talk about is actually two back-to-back. It’s another one of the best songs in the Nujabes catalogue, which is something that could be said for every single song on this album. The first and second verses are some of the strongest of all six parts of the Luv(sic.) series, which is impressive considering the entire saga features some incredible songwriting. That works in his favor, especially over Nujabes production. The first two parts were about love and the changing world post-9/11, but Part 3 was a love letter to hip-hop in the same vein as the iconic “I Used to Love H.E.R.” It wasn’t the dramatic track that Common wrote, but more of a song airing out his disappointment in the “bling era.” When Shingo raps, it’s poetic, conversational almost. Lyrically, the track is on point as well, as prime Shing02 was one of the best MCs and one of the most gifted writers in the underground/Japanese hip-hop scene. In the time he spent in Japan, Seba sent him another beat, and the resulting collaboration was “Luv(sic.) Part 2.” The first part was rough around the edges production-wise, but the second part showed a rapid progression in Seba’s abilities, resulting in one of the best beats of his young career. He couldn’t go back to his home state of California because of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2001, Shing02 was living in Japan, working on his album 400. #Nujabes full discography series#The result of that first meeting was “Luv(sic.),” released in 2000 and the first in a six-part series that would run for close to a decade and a half. His attention to detail shone through across all of his work. Shingo described Seba as a “calm, introverted” person, but he was also a very meticulous artist. They were close personal friends, having met in Tokyo while Shingo was on a business trip to Japan. ”Luv(sic.) Part 3.” Where do I start with this one?įirst, a bit about Seba Jun and Shingo Annen’s relationship. #Nujabes full discography full#This blog would probably be as long as both parts of The Farrakhan Problem if I did a full track-by-track review so I’m going to skip around and talk about the best songs, which is hard to do when pretty much every song on the record is in contention for the best song. “Feather” as a track is among the best on the album, which in turn makes it one of the best songs in Nujabes’ discography. His final verse is arguably the best he’s ever laid on a track, and in consideration for my single favorite rap verse of all time. Akin isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but what Cise does on his two verses is pure magic. I was first hooked by the piano sample, lifted from Yusef Lateef’s “Love Theme from The Robe.” It’s one of the catchiest melodies you will ever hear, and I often find myself humming it. On first listen, I was immediately hooked by Cise’s first verse. When I first got into his music, I started with Modal Soul and worked my way backwards before checking out everything post-this album. 15 years later and this track might be the greatest in the entire Nujabes canon. The album opens with “Feather,” featuring Cise Star and Akin of CYNE. It’s his magnum opus, with no discernable flaws and increased influence as the years go by. Each of his three solo albums have something for all fans to like, but Modal Soul is the most balanced of them. Metaphorical Music is the album in his discography that’s most rooted in hip-hop, Modal Soul’s hip-hop stylings often bubble to the top but he began to dabble in jazz with increased frequency, and Spiritual State is essentially a jazz album that happens to have rap features on it. On two of his three solo albums, all five make an appearance. They all include a combination of Cise Star, Shing02, Substantial, Pase Rock, and Uyama Hiroto, but none of their features sound similar to previous ones. The most interesting thing about Seba’s catalogue is that across his three solo albums, Samurai Champloo Record: Departure, and the Hydeout Productions compilations, no two bodies of work sound the same. Every that came before set the stage for what was coming next. It didn’t quite make him a household name, but he certainly gained more fans. Only a year before Modal Soul dropped, he got the biggest break of his career, producing the the soundtrack of the wildly popular anime Samurai Champloo. His debut solo album, Metaphorical Music was released in 2003, and two years before that, he produced the entirety of Substantial’s impressive debut album To This Union, A Sun Was Born. Released on November 11, 2005, it came in the midst of Seba’s most acclaimed years as an artist. Modal Soul is the second solo studio album by the late, great Nujabes. ![]()
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