Hiroshi Yamauchi started working at Nintendo in 1947, when it was a small company that made playing cards. There, he eventually rose to the CEO position and oversaw the development of the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo, and the GameCube, and he left his thumbprint on the brains of millions of kids before stepping down in 2002. Yamauchi died a week ago, and now the bass virtuosos, soul-jazz space traveler, and frequent Flying Lotus collaborator Thundercat has recorded a lovely 8-bit hymn — “Bowzer’s Ballad,” named after the Super Mario Bros. villain — in his memory. Download it below.

Thundercat – “Bowzer’s Ballad”
(via Pitchfork)

Thundercat’s album Apocalypse is out now on Brainfeeder.