by Nnamdi Chugbo

The death of the late, great Nipsey Hussle has left the world in shock.

The Los Angeles native rapper passed away on March 31st, 2019 as a victim of a murder outside of his clothing store, The Marathon Clothing.

The rapper was praised for the way he was able to turn around his life from living a life in the streets as a gangbanger of the Rollin’ 60’s Neighborhood Crip. He dedicated the last years of his adult life to giving back to the community and pouring funds and community service into the broken streets of Los Angeles.

Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was pronounced dead on the scene of at his murder. The news of his murder caused an uproar of mourning and respectful remembrance of the late rapper throughout the streets of Los Angeles and across social media platforms. Notable figures, such as Rihanna, LeBron James, YG, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and many more took to social media to mourn and send prayers and support to the family and friends of the late rapper.

Nipsey’s humanitarian contributions to South Los Angeles were formally entered into the Congressional Record by Congress member Karen Bass. Some of his many contributions to the community include establishing a STEM center that partnered with Silicon Valley outlets and investing money into his community through his clothing store – The Marathon Clothing – right on Crenshaw and Slauson in the heart of South Los Angeles.

Nipsey also created many jobs in his community by funding barbershops, cell phone stores, multiple restaurants, his recording studio – Marathon Studios – and even a record label called, “All Money In Records.”

He believed that the true way to give back to the community that raised him was by investing in it and allowing his community to progress in the right direction economically and educationally.

The late rapper also left an eternal imprint on the music industry. His albums, Crenshaw, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues, Slauson Boy 2, and Victory Lap were his most renowned works. Victory Lap was even nominated for a Grammy Award for the best rap album of 2018, but fell just a bit short to Cardi B with her debut album, Invasion of Privacy.

Nipsey Hussle’s death was a very unfortunate blow to the whole world, specifically the Los Angeles area. Thankfully, his legacy will last forever and everybody can learn a lesson from looking at the kind of life that Nipsey lived.

He went from a kid who was lost in the streets to a respectable figure that beat the odds and helped his community in ways that upbuilt not just the black community, but every citizen of South Los Angeles forever.