Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty
According to reports, rapper Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Davidson Asghedom, was shot and killed on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. He was 33 years old.
According to TMZ, he was shot in the Hyde Park neighborhood of LA where his clothing company, Marathon Store, was located. The store had been open since 2017. Two other men were also shot at the location and were said to be in serious condition at the hospital, according to NBC News.
There isn’t much info on the shooting and the gunmen just yet, though stories of his number of wounds, and video of efforts to save him, are circulating on the Internet. Eyewitnesses heard multiple shots and police and paramedics came to the scene, where EMTs started doing CPR to revive him. Hussle was taken to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries.
A few hours before the shooting, he actually tweeted the following message:
While he was known for rapping, as NBC News pointed out, Hussle also became invested in entrepreneurship, tech and empowering others through financial literacy, among other things. He reportedly helped to create Destination Crenshaw, which is an “open-air museum devoted to honoring African-American artistic achievement. He also planned to do a documentary on Dr. Sebi, a controversial herbalist who said all diseases could be cured with the help of certain herbs and a particular vegan diet.
He told Complex in February that giving back to his community has been an incredibly satisfying thing.
“I’ve gotten it from young artists and young hustlers, like ‘Nip man, I was really inspired by this move you did and I got my own version of that, me and my team.’ That’s what it’s about. Adding something to the game that people can take from,” he said.
“I know in my heart that it’s a higher power and a higher value to what we can do,” he added. “The times we do it right and it connects and it has that effect on people; that’s really, really fulfilling.”
The son of an African-American mother and Eritrean father, Hussle was born and raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood. He is survived by a daughter, Emani, from a prior relationship, and son, Kross, from his relationship with longtime girlfriend, actress Lauren London, whom he started dating in 2013. Just a few days ago, GQ released a video of Hussle and London playing a game of 30 Questions where they tried to see how much he knew about her. In the wake of this loss, it’s good to see moments like this:
You can also hit the flip on the next page to see images of the pair from over the years:
Source: Gregg DeGuire / Getty
