Nujabes

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Japanese record producer, DJ, and composer who pioneered jazz-infused instrumental hip-hopFounded Hydeout Productions in 1998; released seminal albums 'Metaphorical Music' (2003) and 'Modal Soul' (2005); produced soundtrack for anime series 'Samurai Champloo' (2004); influenced lo-fi hip-hop genre development.
  • His stage name 'Nujabes' is his real surname 'Seba Jun' spelled backward
  • Maintained extreme privacy throughout career – no interviews, rare public appearances, and guarded personal life
  • Died at 36 after traffic collision in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward; struck by taxi while exiting expressway
  • Posthumous album 'Spiritual State' (2011) completed by collaborators using his unreleased materials
  • Collaborated with international artists like Shing02 and Substantial despite language barriers