To be honest, I didn't know much about Nipsey Hussle, but I knew of Nipsey Hussle.
I knew about his prolific and impressive run of mixtapes, leading up to his major debut studio album, Victory Lap ( The February 2018 record that would lead to a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, his very first.) I knew about his everlasting love for Los Angeles, specifically Slauson Ave and Crenshaw Boulevard, where he used his success and wisdom to nurture the ones around him.
The news of Nipsey Hussle dead at age 33 after being shot multiple times felt like a knife going straight through the heart. His ill-timed passing has consumed our thoughts, sending many of us down a black hole of grief and rage. There was a total shift in the atmosphere with fans, as well as non-fans alike, feelings of variety of intense emotions that we didn't think was possible to feel about someone that we didn't know personally. The fact of the matter is, you didn't have to know all of Nipsey Hussle's songs to be qualified to grieve his death. We all knew him.
We all knew him because he was the epitome of the best version of ourselves.
Nipsey Hussle was such an immaculate human being that his legacy is way bigger than the music. He made people feel that they was somebody; that their life mattered. For the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) to speak so profound of him, shows you how great of an individual he was. Nipsey was a great example of someone reaching success while at the same time remaining level-headed and humble, not forgetting where he came from. For those passionate in creating the paradigm shift in the African-American community, he was the person that we all inspired to be.
From Nipsey's legacy and philanthropy, there is a powerful incentive and desire to want to be better and work harder, even in the midst of all the trauma and adversity. Throughout his legendary career he's taught us lessons that we all should strive to follow:
Life Is Indeed a Marathon, Not A Sprint
"Life is a marathon, not a sprint" is a classic popular saying that's been said by many individuals when discussing about the complexities and process of life. Nipsey Hussle was an individual who greatly utilized the "marathon" theme in his life and throughout his music. He started a mixtape series in 2010 called The Marathon, as well as founded his own clothing store with the same name in 2017 on Slauson Ave along with business partners Karen Civil, Steve Carless and his brother Samiel Ashghedom. While this concept of "marathon" was brilliant for business, it also exemplifies Hussle's real-life traits of patience and forbearance.
The release of Victory Lap and the recognition and praise it received is so significant because prior to Victory Lap, Hussle was in the indie rap game for nearly a decade. He started his own label in 2010 called All Money In Records after opting out of his deal with Epic Records. When releasing his 2013 mixtape, Crenshaw, he boldly put a $100 price tag on the mixtape, which sold 1000 copies, putting $100,000 in the rapper's pocket. In an interview with RapRadar, Nipsey explained that the motive behind selling the tape for $100 was to focus on the fans that believed in him and has been following his brand.
Nispey saw his worth as an artist and while he probably knew that the critics would look at this as a laughing matter, he trusted himself and trusted the process throughout his life and career, which lead to his successful business ventures and solid rap career. Perseverance is felt all throughout Hussle's music, as he has proven and made it clear that he would let no setback define him and that the only way to live life was to keep on going.
Use Your Platform and Purpose To Make Change
While Hussle has grown his wealth as a rapper and business man over the past decade, he glossed over materialism. He solely believed that taking advantage of our assets to put ourselves in position to take care of ourselves and our people was far more important than liabilities like cars.
He poured back into his Crenshaw community in many ways. He teamed up with real estate developer David Gross to create "Vector 90", a co-working space for young entrepreneurs. He also launched a STEM center called "Too Big To Fail", where local youth could learn how to code and other tech skills.
Nipsey also planned to meet with the LAPD to discuss ending gang violence in Los Angeles. His multiple contributions to his community has proved to many that Nipsey to willing to do whatever it took to strengthen and revitalize his community.
Master Your Energy
In an interview with 247HH, Nipsey discussed about how mastering your energy and what you put out determines how you live.
"Adjust the energy. Adjust what you're thinking, what you say. If your living in a cycle of negativity, then it's gonna turn to you."
Through the hard times, Nipsey never forgot his purpose and mission, and learned to not fall into any bad energy from his environment or others. He instead used his experiences to create something bigger, for his family, community, and fans from all over. Nipsey was truly a treasure in this world. His ability to use his journey to create a platform to help others is an amazing sight to see. He was just getting started, which makes his death so painful to witness because he had so much more great things to accomplish. While his death is still unbelievable to bear, we should all be inspired to finish what Nispey started and continue to pursue his mission within our own communities. You don't need to be a rapper or to be rich to make change. As long as you are here on this Earth still breathing, everyday is a day to make a change. Honor Nipsey now by not only listening to his music, but also spreading love and creating everlasting change because the Marathon must continue.