If you're not aware, Nujabes is the man behind the Samurai Champloo OSTs. He produced hip-hop beats, and frequently collaborated with MCs (such as Shing02, a Japanese rapper/hip-hop artist) for his solo albums. You can check out one of his songs featuring Shing02 on YouTube.
Seba Jun died on February 26th, 2010, in a car crash. News of his death was kept private until two days ago, when Shing02, a frequent collaborator, posted the news on the page of his record label. You can see the post translated into English here.
The level of support and remorse I've seen from fans in just the past 12 hours is absolutely amazing--I wasn't aware that he was so popular. I don't think he was aware of it either; he kept to himself for the entirety of his career, accepting only a few interviews throughout.
I've always been a fan of underground/non-commercial hip-hop. Nujabes exemplified my taste in today's brand of hip-hop music: soulful, celebratory, and nostalgic. If you enjoy it, be sure to look up more, including the Champloo OSTs. I've really never felt any sort of sadness over a musician's death before, but that fact has surely changed as of yesterday.
