RAPPER NIPSEY HUSSLE KILLED IN SHOOTING
Nipsey Hussle (real name: Ermias Asghedom), who earlier this year earned a Best Rap Album Grammy nom for his debut studio album Victory Lap, was killed in a shooting outside his Marathon Clothing store Sunday. He was 33 years old.
The South Los Angeles native had recently been on a roll with the momentum from his acclaimed new record. He boasts a long list of notable collaborators, including heavyweights like Drake, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Mustard, the Game, Dom Kennedy and Problem among many others; building for years with his popular, but sorrowfully prophetic mixtape series, Bullets Ain't Got No Name.
He's also widely known for joining forces with YG on the gutsy anthem, “FDT [Fuck Donald Trump],” one of the best protest songs of the Trump era.
Hussle was also active philanthropically in the Hyde Park community near Inglewood. His businesses—a hamburger restaurant, a fish market and a barbershop—brought jobs to Hyde Park locals; he opened the workspace Vector 90 last year and was involved with the Destination Crenshaw arts project. He was also part of the team that reopened the roller rink World on Wheels in 2017.
In a statement, L.A. City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said, “Hussle had a vision of a neighborhood built for and by the sons and daughters of South L.A. During his life, he moved from shadows into the bright hope of freedom and community revitalization.”
Fans are paying their respects at iTunes, where the rapper's 2018 set Victory Lap hit #1 on 4/1, while 2013's Crenshaw rose to #7. His "Racks in the Middle" f/Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy moved into the Top 5 at Apple Music.
The response from his peers in the industry has been rightfully overwhelming, with many taking to social media to express their shock and remember the good work Nipsey did in his community.
Nipsey you a legend. I respect and admire your career path and what you did for the neighborhood. My heart broke today when I saw the news. I’m praying for your loved ones. This was sposed to be the year we got one in. God had bigger plans for you 🙏🏿
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) April 1, 2019
I’ll remember him this way. Bright, genuine, forward thinking.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 1, 2019
I’ll remember the beauty that he saw in our community. And the beauty that he was.
He loved us. He’s left that love with us. And it cannot die.
Rest in Power, King. You mattered. #FarewellNipsey pic.twitter.com/fiSvURrz3U
RIP Nipsey man. This is tragic
— Chance Owbum 📅 (@chancetherapper) April 1, 2019
Man.
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) March 31, 2019
This is so painful! @NipseyHussle was doing great work for the people. Keep his legacy alive by carrying on his work! Sending love to his family. Rest in Power King 👑 pic.twitter.com/hE2MNibbZ7
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) April 1, 2019
Words can not express our sadness. Nipsey was not only one of the greatest artists we worked with but an amazing father & leader in his community. One of the kindest & brightest stars in the universe, he was inspiring to all. We will miss him, his music & everything he stood for.
— Atlantic Records (@AtlanticRecords) April 1, 2019
Sadly, this happens 24 years to the day that gun violence took another dynamic artist with a promising future, when Latin music star Selena Quintanilla Pérez was shot in the back by her fan club president Yolanda Saldivar in Texas.
Hussle is survived by his girlfriend, actress Lauren London, and their two year-old daughter, Emani. He was one of three people shot; the other two victims are in serious condition and one man fled the crime scene in a car.
The killer remains at large.
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