RIP NIPSEY HUSSLE

Where do I even begin? I think this one hit home for a lot of people if you couldn't tell by the tremendous outpouring of support & condolences. Nipsey Hussle was only 33 and I've seen people from all sorts of different walks of life compare how they felt upon hearing his passing to hearing about Biggie and Tupac's untimely passing. Since I wasn't really old enough to actually experience it, I can just imagine this is what the culture felt. It was a shock. We're probably still in shock. For those who still aren't too sure who Nipsey Hussle really was, allow me to explain 📖📊👨🏽‍🏫.

Nipsey Hussle had a series mixtapes, including Bullets Ain't Got No Name 1-3, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues, Crenshaw, and his 2018 Grammy nominated debut album Victory Lap (go stream his music/continue to stream his music👍🏽). Other noteworthy feat was that in 2013, Nipsey initially released Crenshaw in a limited edition of 1000 copies for $100 and notably Jay-Z bought 100 copies (s/o Hov ✊🏽). Outside of rap Nipsey was most known for his kind soul but his business acumen. He gave solutions and inspiration to young black men like himself. Nipsey spoke about his experiences in gang culture and even got as far as contacting LAPD to schedule a meeting including Roc Nation (s/o Hov again ✊🏽) to discuss how they could help prevent gang violence in LA. Not to mention Nipsey opened the Marathon Clothing store, owned the plaza it was in (please fact check me), gave jobs to over 41,000 people, was working on a Dr. Sebi documentary, and made....lets just say...a large sum of money from his investments. I honestly can't cram his life story, his legacy, and what he meant to us into a paragraph, an article, an essay, or a book. And I never got the pleasure of meeting him but just from watching and listening to stories about him since high school, I can tell you he was a great person, not to mention a great rapper.

This one confused us all. And it's tragic. And it hurt. A lot. The only beautiful thing that comes out of outcomes like this one is that his music and his teachings continue to live on hopefully forever. And then you realize that even at the young age of 33 he had accomplished everything he had set out to do (to my knowledge). Not too many have that honor. He left us with the blueprint. So let's just thank Nipsey for his influence. Because of him we know if we put enough hard work & dedication into our dreams and goals we can achieve them. Just Hussle, be prolific, and realize the Marathon continues. 🔵🏁

And if you're still here I can tell you a little bit of how he influenced me. A close friend (you know who you are ✊🏽) at the time in high school put me on to his music and I had (without realizing it) watched his growth since then. He built everything he got from the ground up. Proved you can make something out of nothing. He did something that many people think is virtually impossible to do. The man built his own computer from scratch and recorded on it. You can be from any environment or background and make a way. A legit way. He gave us hope and inspired us to get where he was and farther. Although we, of course, had a different background and upbringing, I felt we had similar characteristics (of course I haven't accomplished no where near what he has done but hopefully one day). I just believe he got taken away a little too early unfortunately but if we take ourselves and our ego out of it, Nipsey has the key to life now. Hussle&Motivate 🔵🙏🏽