Nipsey Hussle

Ermias Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper and entrepreneur. He was born in Los Angeles, California, to an African American mother and an Eritrean father.

Early life
He attended Alexander Hamilton High School in the neighborhood Castle Heights. As a teenager, he joined Buttervision, a creative multimedia movement of Digital Guerrilla led by Dexter Browne. Asghedom chose the name Nipsey Hussle based comedian Nipsey Russell.

Career
Hussle began his professional music career in the mid-2000’s. In 2005, Hussle independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1. He was later signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.

Hussle has released many other mixtapes, including the Bullets Ain't Got No Name series, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues and Crenshaw. Rapper Jay-Z bought 100 copies of Crenshaw for $100 each. 

Hussle's first studio album Victory Lap was released in 2018. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019. Over a year after its release, the album reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 in April 2019. His single "Racks in the Middle" (featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy) debuted at number 44 on the Hot 100, following his death. The song later peaked at number 26.

Assassination
On March 31, 2019, Asghedom was shot multiple times outside of his clothing store Marathon Clothing in the Hyde Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead hours later at the age of 33.Rapper Nipsey Hussle killed in shooting outside his L.A. store Eric Holder, a 29-year-old, was charged with murder on April 2.Suspect in fatal shooting of rapper Nipsey Hussle captured in California, authorities say  The Washington Post, April 2, 2019]

Aftermath
On the day of his funeral, a portion of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard near Marathon Clothing was renamed to Ermias "Nipsey Hussle" Asghedom Square to honor him and his contributions to the neighborhood.

At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, in 2020, the song "Racks in the Middle" (featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy won Best Rap Performance, while the song "Higher" (with DJ Khaled and John Legend) won Best Rap/Sung Performance.

Trial
On July 6, 2022, a jury in Los Angeles found Eric Ronald Holder Jr. guilty of murder in the first degree. Holder was also found guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, assault with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon. Holder was sentenced on September 15, 2022.

References

Category:1985 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:2019 murders in the United States
Category:21st-century American rappers
Category:African-American rappers
Category:American activists
Category:Murdered African-American people
Category:Atlantic Records artists
Category:Eritrean people
Category:Gangsta rappers
Category:American Grammy Award winners
Category:Murders by firearm in California
Category:Murdered musicians
Category:Rappers from Los Angeles
Category:Singer-songwriters from Los Angeles