Hey all. If you've seen Samurai Champloo or played the video game Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, then you might be familiar with the music of prolific Japanese hip-hop producer Nujabes (Seba Jun). I learned today that he passed away in a car accident a month ago at the age of 36.

The only word I can think of to describe the man and his music is special. It's unfair really to refer to his work as just music - it personifies so much more than that. It evokes a vast array of images: the struggle to make it to the top in the world of music, the constant temptation to sell out and abandon one's individualism and intellectualism for the sake of mass appeal, the fight to maintain one's optimism in a world filled with injustice and ignorance, and the triumph of real love over empty desire.

I cannot possibly do him justice here. His music stands as a guide in times when one's individualism and will are challenged. Anyone who has ever questioned their calling, been tempted to give up without a fight, or lost their direction entirely should find strength in these songs and remember him. I know I will. Rest in Peace, and Thank You.