page_title: Nipsey Hussle
section_title: 2013–2019: Crenshaw and Victory Lap
hierarchical_section_title: Nipsey Hussle / Music career / 2013–2019: Crenshaw and Victory Lap
caption_attribution_description: English: Working in the studio
context_page_description: Ermias Joseph Asghedom, known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, activist, and entrepreneur. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, which led to him being signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.
  Hussle became known for his numerous mixtapes, including his Bullets Ain't Got No Name series, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues, and Crenshaw, the last of which rapper Jay-Z bought 100 copies for $100 each. After much delay, his debut studio album Victory Lap was released in 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success, and was nominated for the Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019. Two posthumous Grammy Awards for the songs "Racks in the Middle" and "Higher" were awarded to Hussle in the Best Rap Performance and Best Rap/Sung Performance categories, respectively, the next year at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
context_section_description: Beginning in 2013, he released various songs from his upcoming mixtape Crenshaw, including the 9th Wonder produced track "Face the World", and a The Futuristics and 1500 or Nothin' produced track "Blessings". On August 6, 2013, Hussle announced that Victory Lap would be released as an album, rather than a mixtape. Prior to the release of Victory Lap, Hussle announced on September 16, 2013, that he would be releasing a new mixtape, Crenshaw (hosted by DJ Drama), on October 8, 2013. On September 24, 2013, he revealed the track list for Crenshaw, which contained guest appearances from Rick Ross, Dom Kennedy, Slim Thug, James Fauntleroy II, Z-Ro, Skeme and Sade, among others. The production on the mixtape was handled by The Futuristics, 1500 or Nothin', 9th Wonder, Mike Free, Ralo and Jiggy Hendrix, among others. He also released the Crenshaw documentary that day in promotion of the mixtape. On October 3, 2013, he released another trailer for the mixtape, and attracted attention when he revealed 1,000 hard copies of the mixtape would be sold for $100 each. Jay Z personally bought 100 copies. He reportedly sold out all 1,000 copies in less than 24 hours, effectively making $100,000.
  Upon the release of Crenshaw, Hussle said that Victory Lap would be released in 2014. On November 20, 2013, Hussle confirmed that Victory Lap would feature production from Ralo, 1500 or Nothin', The Futuristiks and DJ Mustard. He later confirmed more producers, including Don Cannon and DJ Khalil on the album. After the year went by with no new releases, Hussle released a new mixtape, Mailbox Money on New Year's Eve 2014, again releasing 1000 hard copies for $100 each.
  Hussle made a number of guest appearances throughout 2015 and 2016, working with Jadakiss, Trae Tha Truth and YG. In 2016, he released another mixtape, titled Famous Lies and Unpopular Truth. He commented on the 2016 US presidential election by releasing the single "FDT" ("Fuck Donald Trump") with YG; the song was written about Hussle's positive experiences with Mexican immigrants in the United States, whom Trump had criticized.
  After numerous delays, Hussle's debut studio album, Victory Lap, was released on February 16, 2018, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 53,000 album equivalent units in its first week. The album was met with universal acclaim from critics, and numerous songs entered the Billboard Hot 100, including "Double Up", "Last Time I Checc'd" and "Dedication", marking Hussle's debut on the chart as a lead artist. Victory Lap was also nominated for a Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, but lost out to Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy. Over 1 year after its release, the album reached a new peak of number 2 on the Billboard 200 in April 2019 after Hussle's murder on March 31. His single "Racks in the Middle" featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy also reached a new peak of number 44 on the Hot 100, following his death.
caption: Hussle (left) in a studio in 2018