Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz
was tragically taken from his family and fans in 2019, just shy of turning 34. On what would have been the rapper and businessman’s 35th birthday, Twitter is gathered in saluting the
Crenshaw star.
Ermias Joseph Asghedom was born August 15, 1985, to a Black American mother and an Eritrean father. Nip first found local fame as a rapper in 2005 with the start of his heavy mixtape grind, which led to partnerships with Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records. The major label experience pushed Nip to begin his own label situation with All Money In No Money Out Records and starting an expansive mixtape run.
Nip was one of the first, if not the first, rapper to bet on himself in huge fashion by offering his 2013
Crenshaw mixtape for $100, a model employed by the likes of Mach-Hommy, Tha God Fahim, and other independent Hip-Hop acts of recent times.
With his major-label debut album
Victory Lap, the decade and more grind from Nip finally paid off. The album, released via his imprint and Atlantic Records, was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards. And just as his career and Marathon clothing business was enjoying a surge in notice and profit, Nip was shot around 10 times in the parking lot of the Marathon Clothing store in broad daylight by an assumed rival over a personal matter.
Survived by his fiancee Lauren London and his two children, Nipsey’s legacy is as intact as ever. All across social media, the common refrain of “The Marathon Continues” rings loudly with his clothing brand and other partnerships continuing to thrive in the wake of his passing.
Rest Powerfully in Peace, Nipsey Hussle.
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Photo: Bernard Smalls/@PhotosByBeanz
