[7] After seeing the younger DJs DJ Qbert and Mix Master Mike performing live, he decided to focus on producing tracks.
[14] In 1999, Nakamura and Prince Paul formed the collaborative project Handsome Boy Modeling School, assuming the alter egos Nathaniel Merriweather and Chest Rockwell, respectively.
featured numerous guest musicians, including Róisín Murphy, DJ Shadow, and Del the Funky Homosapien.
After Paul briefly left the duo over a business dispute,[17] Handsome Boy Modelling School have since played further shows and spoken of a forthcoming third album.
[20] The album also featured appearances by Jamie Cullum, Emily Wells and Zack De La Rocha, with interludes performed by actors David Cross, Amber Tamblyn and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
[22] In September 2015, they embarked on a four-city tour of Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles, where they played their entire album live, including a cover of Handsome Boy Modeling School's "I've Been Thinking".