15, 1985, Hussle said his first passion was music but getting resources was tough after leaving his mother’s house at 14 to live with his grandmother.
He loved us,” film director Ava Duvernay tweeted. “I’ll remember the beauty that he saw in our community. His hip-hop friends and other stars, including Rihanna and Snoop Dogg, mourned on social media, with many pointing out his particular role in uplifting African Americans. Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was an Eritrean-American father of two who was engaged to actress Lauren London. Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff tweeted that he and Police Chief Michel Moore had agreed to meet with Hussle on Monday to talk about ways to stop gang violence. Two other men standing near Hussle were shot and wounded. Police did not reveal a motive or publicly identify any suspects. He persevered, he stayed in, he never gave up.” The effort took him to a whole other level “where he ended up owning property on the same corner.”Īn autopsy performed Monday found that Hussle’s death was a homicide, caused by bullet wounds to the head and torso. They didn’t think that this would work out and look what happened. “He would stand out here and hand them out. “He used to sell his demo tapes right here on these corners for $5,” Woods said. A lot of people like him don’t come around often.”ĭenise Francis Woods, a neighborhood resident who is running for City Council, remembered Hussle as a teen who appeared unlikely to do much of anything.
“A lot of people who get rich don’t come back here,” he said. “Someone changed history yesterday,” he said, referring to the gunman.Ĭoleman commended the rapper for trying to uplift his own community first instead of simply going elsewhere. Others yelled, “Long live Nipsey.”ĭontae Coleman, 28, who lives in the neighborhood, fell to his knees and cried and called Hussle “a legend.” Many mourners pulled out their phones to document the scene.
Blaring loudly through several speakers, some of Hussle’s popular songs were being played including “The Weather,” ”Double Up” and “Hussle & Motivate.” A memorial of candles, flowers and paintings of Hussle took shape in front of the store and in the parking lot. “His senseless death leaves us worse off.”īy Monday, hundreds of people formed a circle in front of the closed store to pay their respects. “Nipsey’s activism, leadership and dedication to community was an inspiration for Californians and beyond,” tweeted California senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.