Sources have confirmed that Nipsey Hussle was killed in the shooting outside of his store. Two other men are reported to be in serious condition.
Multiple sources say the rapper was gunned down Sunday in the Hyde Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles, south of the Crenshaw area. We’re told he was at his clothing company called The Marathon Clothing. He opened the place back in 2017. Nipsey received CPR on the scene as well. Videos are circulating showing him receiving CPR from an EMT, who’s doing chest compressions.
Nipsey seems to have tweeted right before the shooting, and alluded to “enemies.”
He wrote,
Having strong enemies is a blessing.
— THA GREAT (@NipseyHussle) March 31, 2019
Nipsey — who’s from the Crenshaw area of L.A. — is said to have ties to the Crips. That hasn’t stopped him from working with artists who have rival gang affiliations … he’s made music with both YG and The Game — both of whom have been tied to Bloods. Nipsey has also worked with other huge names in the industry, like Drake, Childish Gambino, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Young Thug, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Kirko Bangz, Dom Kennedy, Tyga, Jadakiss, Chamillionaire and many, many others.
He’s released multiple mixtapes over the course of his 10-plus year career but just dropped his first studio album last year. It’s called “Victory Lap” … and it got him a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album just a month ago. Nipsey lost out to Cardi B at the award show. Nipsey’s mixtapes date back to 2005. He dropped 10 projects independently before releasing his debut album, which was distributed through his own record label, All Money In, and Atlantic Records.
Nipsey was incredibly involved in his local community, in which he worked to prevent gang violence. He helped spear a major art initiative in his home neighborhood called “Destination Crenshaw” — a 1.3-mile open-air museum that will feature local art. He also recently helped launch Vector 90 — a Crenshaw district based STEM learning center and workspace dedicated to developing science and technology education in the area. During a showcasing of Vector 90 last year, Nipsey told the LA Times … “I grew up in gang culture. We dealt with death, with murder. It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it. I guess they call it post-traumatic stress, when you have people that have been at war for such a long time. I think L.A. suffers from that because it’s not normal yet we embrace it like it is after a while.”
Nipsey Hussle, real name Ermias Asghedom, was 33 years old. He leaves behind two children, one of whom was with Lauren London.