L.A. rapper Nipsey Hussle is dead, but his revolutionary push to combat gang violence with education must continue
“Damn I wish my brother Fatts was here, how you die at 30-something after banging all them years?” -Nipsey Hussle, “Racks in the Middle”
No one knew Nipsey’s line about a friend in his final single would describe how many of us feel.
Ermias Asghedom, better known as “Nipsey Hussle,” died at 33 after being gunned down outside of his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles on March 31. Nipsey’s death was momentous for the black community.
Nipsey’s death means more than the loss of a Grammy-nominated rap artist. Nipsey was a leader in the streets of LA and helped pave the way for the next generation.
Nipsey was a beacon of hope who did not care for the mistakes of your past, rather he looked towards inspiring others make a brighter future. To many, he was a role model in the community.
In a 2018 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nipsey talked about the importance of being a force for positive change.
“Growing up as a kid, I was looking for somebody— not to give me anything —but somebody that cared,” Nipsey said. “Someone that was creating the potential for change and that had an agenda outside of their own self interests.”
Nipsey became the person he and millions of people from impoverished communities sought out. He repaved basketball courts to give kids a place to play, created a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) center for inner city kids, created co-work spaces where people from the community can work and network, and employed felons in his businesses to give them a chance at a positive life.
Nipsey’s death serves as a wakeup call to all minority groups in this country. We cannot move forward as a people if we continue to kill each other. It is a time where we need to come together in unity to honor the legacy he left behind, while doing our best to inspire others to better others.
Los Angeles resident Diamon’ique Samon’e, 24, said Nipsey inspired her and his death impacted her on a deep level.
“I can’t explain how it feels,” Samon’e said. “It feels like I lost a big brother, not like one that lives in the house with you, like the one that pulls up on you on random summer days in his new car and takes you places.”
“I lost a leader, someone who I would’ve followed blindly,” Samon’e said. “It’s weird cause I listen to him everyday and I still can, but now the words are less lyrical and more like directions and help along my journey.”
The black community lost an icon, and a leader who fought for his community. After his death, it was reported Nipsey had a meeting scheduled with the Los Angeles Police Department to combat gang violence. He was attempting to make strides with law enforcement to make his community a safer place. His death had a bittersweet impact in Southern California, especially in L.A. Local gangs in L.A. even called a truce in order to honor Nipsey’s memory.
We cannot let the legacy of Nipsey Hussle die along with him. As a people, now is the time to come together and honor the legacy of a man who worked so hard to better his community and promote unity and love to everyone. To carry on that legacy, as Nipsey would often say, “the marathon must continue.”
