Two Sundays ago the music and entertainment world was greeted with the horrific news that the 2019 Grammy nominee for Best Rap Album Nipsey Hussle had been gunned down in broad daylight in front of his clothing story in Los Angeles.
The probable initial reaction by the general public would have been the shrugging of the shoulders at what has come to be accepted as the norm in the world of rap. Just another violent end in a culture highlighted by provocative lyrics, drugs, guns, shootings, ‘bling-bling,’ and death. One more name to add to the ever-growing list of murdered rappers which, according to a study conducted by the American Hip Hop magazine, XXL, numbered 68 between 1987 and 2018, with many of them remaining unsolved. Now the name of Nipsey Hussle joins those of Tupac and Biggie Smalls on the list of the deceased.
The outpouring of grief which followed included a candlelight vigil the night following the murder of Nipsey. Nineteen people were injured during a stampede at the gathering, as someone allegedly brandished a gun. It seems as though there can never be a peaceful moment in the world of rap.
The accused gunman, an aspiring rapper who had sung about holding vigils for his enemies and who has since been arrested, was known to Nipsey. It is claimed, that at one time, they were both associated with the Rollin’ 60s, a well-known Los Angeles street gang. According to reports they had several conversations on that fatal day which led to an argument. Surveillance footage captures the shooter later returning to the store and shooting the rapper and two of his associates who survived the attack.
Nipsey, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom, was just 33 years old and had sought to cut a different path to his fellow rappers. The day after his death, he had been scheduled to meet with the Los Angeles Police Department to discuss ways to help eliminate gang violence. As a former gang member, he was making efforts to assist his South LA neighbourhood where he had continued to live despite his musical success.
At a press conference two days after his passing, LA Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff fought back tears as he read an email from Nipsey;
“Our goal is to work with the department to help improve communication, relationships and work towards changing the culture and dialogue between the LAPD and the inner city.
“We want to hear about your new programs and your goals for the department as well as how we can help stop gang violence and help you help kids.”
In February, the rapper was featured in Forbes Magazine revealing his ambitions to become a real estate mogul. He had recently purchased the plaza which housed his Marathon Clothing store with business partner David Gross for “a couple million.” It is the location where he had begun selling his rap tapes in the parking lot, the place where he had earned his sobriquet, and where he would meet his untimely death.
Nipsey, the businessman had disclosed plans to demolish the plaza and rebuild it as a residential six storey building above a commercial plaza. His early dreams of buying land were being fueled by a shrewd mind which had kept him as an independent rapper with his own label and his own catalogue of music, even as he enjoyed a “partnership” with Atlantic for his major album debut, “Victory Lap.” As his career took off in the last six years, and his monthly royalty cheques grew to the low six figures, so did his ambition to improve the quality of life of his ‘hood.
Now the dream is gone, snuffed out by another senseless killing ignited probably by some minor pittance. Part and parcel of the world of rap, a world that Nipsey had sought to change for the better. Tomorrow there will be a memorial service for Nipsey at the Los Angeles Staples Center. The stars of the entertainment and music worlds will congregate to pay tribute to the late aspiring legend who, no doubt, will be remembered in glowing terms.
So who will step forward to take up his mantle and tackle the ever growing problem of gun violence? Or will his successor just be another name eventually added to the list of slain rappers?
