Manuel Seal, the Producer Who Helped Shape So So Def’s Sound, Dies at 66

By Dennis Byron | Hip Hop Enquirer

Manuel Seal, the songwriter, producer and musician whose work helped define an era of R&B and hip-hop, has died at 66. His longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri announced his passing on Sunday, September 27. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

Hip Hop Enquirer spoke with Seal’s longtime manager, German Woodson, who said Seal passed away after his birthday this past Saturday, September 26. It is a heartbreaking detail: a milestone celebrated one day, followed by news of his loss.

If you grew up with So So Def in your speakers, you know Seal’s work, even if you never knew his name. He and Dupri helped build songs that traveled far beyond Atlanta, pairing hip-hop’s pulse with melodies listeners could carry for years.

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Seal’s credits include Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” and “We Belong Together,” Usher and Alicia Keys’ “My Boo,” and Usher’s “My Way.” His work also reached artists including Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, TLC and Xscape. Those records show the range of a musician who could move between pop, R&B and hip-hop while serving the voice at the center of each song.

For Dupri, the loss is deeply personal. In his tribute, he called Seal “the first person to really understand me musically.” Dupri described a collaborator who could meet his ideas with answers and a friend with whom he ended every conversation by saying, “I love you.”

There is a particular kind of producer whose signature is heard in the feeling of a record rather than announced at its start. Seal belonged to that class. The next time “Always Be My Baby” comes on, or “My Boo” turns a room into a singalong, take a moment to remember the man who helped make that possible.

Hip Hop Enquirer extends its condolences to Manuel Seal’s family, friends and collaborators. His name deserves to be spoken alongside the records that will keep playing.