This is the official Washington Classics / Funky DL tribute video to the Japanese hip-hop producer “Nujabes” who passed away in February of 2010. Funky DL was one of the first MC’s to work with Nujabes on a total of 10 songs, some famously known and some unreleased to this day.

In 2002. DL and Nujabes embarked on an 11 city tour of Japan and it is only now in this video that the imagery from their Club Yellow, Tokyo show is exhibited for the public to see and celebrate Nujabes and the legend he was to the world. Funky DL shares his memories of collaboration with Nujabes over this smooth and meloncholy groove and narrates his coming to meet, share and experience travels in music with the talented producer, DJ and friend.

This song is taken from the forthcoming Funky DL album “Blackcurrent Jazz 2” and the “Ode To Nujabes” single is digitally available now at

Ode To Nujabes by Funky DL

Lyrics to Ode To Nujabes by Funky DL

Verse One

Chilling in my bedroom it’s morning, I’ve not long woke up
Heard a ring, ring so I picked my telephone up
Who’s this? “Sebajun”, who? “Call me Nujabes”
“Looking for a rapper for my beats thinking you the best
Choice from the UK do you have email?”
“I’mma send a couple of my beats and some details”
“Want you here in Tokyo, get you in the studio”
“Got you on the airfare”, bank wire sent the doe
June 10th 1999 at the airport
First time to Japan so I had to clear my thoughts
Ready for a lyrical assault that’s when I get the
Beat from Nujabes for Don’t Even Try It
Plus four more, we record three in a day
Unstoppable plus the track People Don’t stray
Me and L Universe spitting on an unreleased
Part one done Nujabes San rest in peace

Chorus

Big up my man Nujabes
Big up my man Nujabes
Big up my man Nujabes [he make the beat knock]
Big up my man Nujabes

Verse Two

June 23rd 2000 and I’m back on Japanese ground
Five more tracks, Not Yet Known, Slow Down
Plus a few more now I’m at the Guinness record store
Nujabes got more breaks than I ever saw
Said he ordered just a few of Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock”
But so much of mine and he so loved Starbucks
Then we both went on tour yellow in Tokyo,
Fukuoka, Wakayama and Sapporo
Club I to I in Osaka and Kyoto
Gifu, Mito, Nagoya it was so dope
Then he came to London and I showed him all my best breaks
Chilling in the restaurant eating up the best steak
Then I said goodbye at the terminal at Heathrow
He was enigmatic so incognito
He was my people chilling in the Far East
Part two done Nujabes San rest in peace

Chorus

Verse Three

August 14th, 15th / 2010 club unit
Hydeout, Nujabes tribute we doing it
Cise Star, Fat Jon, Pace Rock, Funk D
Emancipator, Substantial, Apani
Got to give a shout to my main man Takumi
Seiji, Segawa, the show really moved me
Moved us Nujabes loved and respected
So many people’s lives were affected by his music
One in a million
Worldwide fans grown men young children
Spread the word let the whole movement increase
Part three done Nujabes San rest in peace

Chorus