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Nipsey Hussle was an American rapper, activist, and entrepreneur. His fourteen year career led to him becoming one of the biggest influences in West Coast rap, gaining more and more recognition with the release of each of his mixtapes. These led to the release of his critically acclaimed debut album Victory Lap in 2018. His passions extended beyond his music, which he explored with the establishment of his Marathon Clothing store in 2017 and his deduction to community activism. Sadly, his life was tragically cut short at the young age of 33, but his work and impact in the hip hop world and beyond are still felt today.

Early Life

Nipsey was born Ermias Joseph Asghedom was born on August 15, 1985, in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California, to Angelique Smith, an African-American woman, and Dawit Asghedom, an Eritrean immigrant. He was raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles with his brother Samuel and his sister Samantha and attended Alexander Hamilton High School, but dropped out before graduating. At the age of 14, Hussle left home and joined the local Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips, a sub-group of the larger Crips gang primarily based in his home neighborhood of Crenshaw. However he would later work to separate himself from the gang and dedicate much of his career to gang prevention. He would later say,“In my section of the Crenshaw District in the Rollin’ 60s, none of my peers survived. None of my peers avoided prison. None of ’em. Everybody got bullet wounds and felonies and strikes. So to make it out mentally stable and not in prison and not on drugs, that’s a win.” Nipsey would eventually get his stage name off a play on the name of comedian Nipsey Russell, which started as a nickname given to him by a childhood friend. When he was 19, his father took him and his brother on a trip to Eritrea, for three months. He would later say the trip inspired him to become a community activist with an "entrepreneurial spirit".

Music Career

Nipsey independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, in December 2005 to moderate local success. He signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records. In 2008, Hussle released the first two installments in his Bullets Ain't Got No Name series of mixtapes, which brought his music much more exposure. His sound was defined by a reverence to the West Coast gangsta rap of the 1990s but his flow was distinctly different from the more pop-adjacent hip-hop dominating the radio in the mid-2000s.

Nipsey's career continued to grow into 2009, when he collaborated with Drake on the song "Killer" and with Snoop Dogg and Problem on the song "Upside Down". He released the third instalment in Bullets Ain’t Got No Name, as well as his commercial debut single, "Hussle in the House". The song was well received by critics, but failed to make any impact on the charts.

Nipsey chose to leave Epic Records after they had financial issues in 2010, continuing on as an independent artist. Hussle then appeared on the song "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" and earned a feature on XXL Magazine "Annual Freshman Top Ten", a selection of ten up-and-coming hip-hop artists to watch, where he was labeled "Most Determined" of his class. Hussle was expected to release his debut album, South Central State of Mind, in October 2010. Prior to release, the album was supported by the single "Feelin' Myself" featuring Lloyd. The album’s protection team included J.R. Rotem, Scott Storch, Mr. Lee, Play-N-Skillz, Terrace Martin and 1500 or Nothin' with features from Trey Songz, Jay Rock and Sean Kingston. Nipsey also announced he was planning on releasing a mixtape with Jay Rock called Red and Blue Make Green. After releasing a music video for "Feelin' Myself", the album was set to drop on December 21, 2010. However, both projects were eventually postponed indefinitely.

After leaving Epic, Nipsey founded his own record label, All Money In. On December 21, 2010, he released his first All Money In Records mixtape, titled The Marathon, which featured Kokane and MGMT. He followed with another mixtape on November 1, 2011, called The Marathon Continues, which featured L.A. rappers YG and Dom Kennedy. The label would grow to feature a vast array of releases including, Crenshaw - Nipsey Hussle (2013), Mailbox Money - Nipsey Hussle (2014), 25/8 No Breaks - J Stone (2014), Boyz N Tha Hood - BH (2015), Slauson Boy 2 - Nipsey Hussle (2016), Neighborhood Watch - J Stone (2016), Victory Lap - Nipsey Hussle (2018), 6 Days - J Stone (2018), No Guts No Glory - Pacman Da Gunman (2019), The Definition of Loyalty - J Stone (2019), 60TH ST - Pacman Da Gunman (2019), Ground Zero - J Stone & Pacman Da Gunman (2020), Esta Loca Vida Mia - Pacman Da Gunman (2020), The Definition of Pain - J Stone (2020).

In April 2012, Nipsey released a collab album called Raw with rapper Blanco featuring YG, Mistah FAB, Yukmouth, B-Legit, Kokane and Freeway. In May 2012, Nipsey released the single Proud of That featuring Rick Ross. He was then featured on Ross' Maybach Music Group's song "Fountain of Youth", which appears on the label's second album Self Made Vol. 2. The music video was released on October 1, 2012. At this point in time, Nipsey said he was still looking for the right label to sign with, entertaining the rumors that he would be signing with MMG

Nipsey announced the third and final installment of The Marathon mixtape series, TM3: Victory Lap was to be released in 2013 after being pushed back from December 2012. He also announced he was planning on releasing a joint mixtape with a fellow West Coast rapper YG. After deciding not to sign to a major label due to a lack of creative freedom, he chose to make Victory Lap his debut album.

He began releasing various songs from his upcoming mixtape Crenshaw in 2013, including the 9th Wonder produced track "Face the World", and a The Futuristics and 1500 or Nothin' produced track "Blessings". Crenshaw would be an ode to the predominantly black, tight-knit district in south LA that he grew up in. Hussle revealed the track list for Crenshaw in September 2013, which contained guest appearances from Rick Ross, Dom Kennedy, Slim Thug, James Fauntleroy II, Z-Ro, Skeme and Sade, among others. The production on the mixtape was handled by The Futuristics, 1500 or Nothin', 9th Wonder, Mike Free, Ralo and Jiggy Hendrix, among others. The album was accompanied with the Crenshaw documentary released that day in promotion of the mixtape. On October 3, 2013, he released another trailer for the mixtape, and caused lots of buzz when he revealed that although digital copies of his mixtape would be free, 1,000 hard copies of the mixtape would be sold for $100 each. “The reason I chose to charge $100 dollars each copy and only start with 1000 units”, Nipsey said, “is because I tailor making my music for those who are listening.” Jay Z personally bought 100 copies. He reportedly sold out all 1,000 copies in less than 24 hours, effectively making $100,000. 2013 was also the year Nipsey began to see Lauren London, who would later become his life-long partner.

Upon the release of Crenshaw, Hussle said that Victory Lap would be released in 2014 and confirmed that the album would feature production from Ralo, 1500 or Nothin', The Futuristiks and DJ Mustard, Don Cannon and DJ Khalil on the album. After the year went by with no new releases, Hussle released a new mixtape, Mailbox Money on New Year's Eve 2014, again releasing 1000 hard copies for $100 each.

Hussle provided various features throughout 2015 and 2016, working with Jadakiss, Trae Tha Truth and YG. In 2016, he released another mixtape, titled Famous Lies and Unpopular Truth. He spoke about the 2016 US presidential election by releasing the single "FDT" ("Fuck Donald Trump") with YG; featuring Hussle's positive experiences with Mexican immigrants in the United States, whom Trump had previously targetted. Also in 2016, Nipsey had a son with Lauren London. In 2017, Nipsey signed with Atlantic Records.

After several delays, Hussle's debut studio album, Victory Lap, was released on February 16, 2018, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 53,000 album equivalent units in its first week. The album was met with universal acclaim from critics, and numerous songs entered the Billboard Hot 100, including "Double Up", "Last Time I Checc'd" and "Dedication". This marked Hussle's debut on the chart as a lead artist. The album was also nominated for a Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019. Over 1 year after its release, the album reached a new peak of number 2 on the Billboard 200 in April 2019 after Hussle's murder on March 31. His single "Racks in the Middle" featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy also reached a new peak of number 44 on the Hot 100, following his death.

Career Outside of Music

Nipsey was hustling way before he was making music. He used to shine shoes when he was eleven for $2.50 to pay for school clothes. He has a goal of 100 shoes a day. He sold his mixtapes out of a car trunk at his local strip mall. Nipsey also experimented with unorthodox sales strategies by selling expensive copies of certain mixtapes despite the songs being distributed for free.

Together with Steve Carless, Karen Civil, and Jorge Peniche, Hussle founded the Marathon Agency in 2013 inspired by his Marathon branding. The talent-based brand was designed to attract a diverse set of clients in all stages of their careers. Hussle heavily invested in the agency to get it started.

Nipsey then opened the Marathon Clothing store on June 17, 2017. Opening the store in the Crenshaw commercial district was important to him because he wanted to invest and provide opportunities in his neighborhood of Hyde Park. The “smart store” would give customers access to exclusive music and other content created by rappers through an app. Hussle would eventually buy the small shopping center where his store was located.

Nipsey also tried his hand at acting. In 2007, he played a small role in Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's semi-autobiographical film I Tried. In 2010, he starred in the film Caged Animal, alongside Ving Rhames, Gillie Da Kid and Robert Patrick. In 2015, he was featured in a cameo for the pilot episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, rapping two bars in "The Sexy Getting Ready Song".

Besides music, Nipsey’s other passion was grassroots activism. He wanted to focus on "giving solutions and inspiration" to young black men like him. He continuously denounced gun violence through his music, influence and community work and spoke openly about his experiences with gang culture.

He funded improvements to neighborhood schools and spent time with students, also participating on panels about growing up in the area and the influence of gang culture. He started a co-working environment which he named Vector 90, believing that the Crenshaw area was being underserved and that young people would benefit from communal workspaces. He wanted kids to be able to take classes in science, technology and mathematics at the center, citing disruptive thinkers of Silicon Valley as his inspiration. Nipsey was also intimately involved in the planning of the Destination Crenshaw project that will showcase the history and culture of African Americans in his neighborhood. He had contacted officials from the LAPD to arrange a meeting with him and Roc Nation about what they could do to help prevent gang violence in South Los Angeles. The meeting had been scheduled to take place on April 1, 2019.

Hussle was murdered on March 31. According to Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, department officials will meet with Hussle's representatives at a future date on these issues, to continue the activist's work in his honor.

Death and Legacy

On March 31, 2019, Hussle was shot at least 10 times in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles at about 3:19 p.m. Two others were wounded in the shooting. Hussle was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3:55 p.m. He was 33 years old. Nipsey is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Southern California.

The world was rocked upon hearing the news of his death. Condolences poured in from rappers, celebrities, and music fans alike. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti offered his condolences to Hussle's family. Barack Obama penned a letter praising Nipsey for his work in the community, writing, “While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets, and despair, Nipsey saw potential.” Hussle's memorial service was held on April 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with tickets provided free of charge. The 25.5-mile funeral procession wound through the streets of South L.A with approximately 21,000 fans in attendance. YG dedicated his 2019 performance at Coachella to his memory.

Nipsey’s legacy has only continued to grow since his death. A petition was started to rename the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard near the Marathon Clothing store to "Nipsey Hussle Square". On the day of his funeral, the council announced it was set to be renamed Ermias "Nipsey Hussle" Asghedom Square to honor him and his contributions to the neighborhood. Hussle's store has remained closed since his death.

Many mourned him through new art forms. Within a few months, over 50 murals dedicated to the rapper were painted in the City of Los Angeles. Inspired by the books that Hussle had mentioned in interviews, songs and motivational messages, local chapters of The Marathon Book Club have formed. At the 2020 Grammy Awards, DJ Khaled, Kirk Franklin, John Legend, Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch and YG gave tribute to Hussle in honor of his legacy. Puma released the Marathon Clothing collection in September 2019 with 100% of net proceeds to the Neighborhood ‘Nip’ Foundation. The AMB store opened in September 2019 on Crenshaw Boulevard, which is another clothing company founded by Hussle. A documentary on Nipsey Hussle is in development at Netflix.

Sources: Wikipedia, Vox