Nujabes - Think Different [feat. Substantial]

Holy balls is this guy an incredible musician. Basically, he takes samples of jazz songs from the likes of pianist Bill Evans and saxophonist Yusef Lateef, and plays hip-hop beats over them. Just about anything this guy touches turns into some of the smoothest stuff this side of motown back in its prime. I personally like some of his instrumental songs more, but this particular track is so silky smooth I just cannot get enough of it. Nujabes starts out with a lush piano sample and compliments it nicely with some simple drums. Then, Substantial just goes to town. He finds such a good flow which makes his verses sound like a hot knife through butter. Not only does he sound smooth, his lyrics could fit in just as easily on a track by The Roots. Lines like “You fall in love with body parts, I connect mentally / With my female counterpart before we bond physically / Cats I chill with rap about revolution / While you rap about drug abuse and distribution” create such an atmosphere that you need to find a pipe and a twee jacket in order to feel cultured enough to listen to the rest of the song. 

R.I.P. Jun Seba (AKA Nujabes) 1974-2010