More Than Music: How I Will Remember Nipsey Hussle

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I was about 9 years old when Biggie was shot and killed. I can remember "Hypnotize" being a joint that was in rotation on Hot 97 constantly before his murder. Through that song I learned of Biggie and due to the hook, I had heard everything I needed to once the news broke. Still, I had no idea what the enormity of his death meant to society, hip-hop culture, and my native Brooklyn as well. That Sunday morning when I learned of the news, Brooklyn was silent. At 9 years old there just was no way for me to bring context to such an event.

Twenty-one years later, during the same month of Biggie's death, we lose Nipsey Hussle. Nipsey was on an ascent. Truth be told, all too often we lose those with such a light much too soon. Now to be completely honest with you all, until "Victory Lap" I really hadn't listened to any of Nipsey's music. It just so happened that I was hearing nothing but good things about the project that I decided to check it out. It deserved all of the acclaim that it received and was rightfully nominated for a Grammy. I'll go as far as to say that even in his death, I'm not necessarily compelled to listen to more of his music. I think eventually I will, but it was never the music that drew me to Nip (hopefully his friends called him that).

I really got to learn about Nipsey Hussle through his interviews. You see, a huge pastime of mine is watching interviews usually at the end of each day. I watch The Breakfast Club, Ebro in the Morning, Big Boy's Neighborhood, Sway in the Morning and the list goes on. I have a huge fascination with public figures, and artists and their stories. More times than not, I gain something from the conversations that are had.

    Courtesy: We Buy Black

Whenever Nipsey would be promoting his music during these interviews, I began noticing that the majority of his interviews really weren't about his music. They were about his works, his philanthropy. He had ideas, philosophies and real goals. I really began seeing that there so was much more to this dude than rap. Hell, he was much more than giving turkeys out around Thanksgiving time. That's not to say that there is something wrong with that, but it's the service many rappers cite when they want to bring up their philanthropic work.

Nipsey was a man with a plan. He was a man of great zeal and it showed. He was a visionary. Take his involvement with opening Vector90, a co-working space in South Central L.A.. To see a need that a community has and have the wherewithal to create a venue that will benefit it is highly admirable. He recently purchased coveted property in his community that was to become (maybe it still will) a shopping plaza along with with a building with affordable housing.  It didn't stop there either. Nipsey believed in empowering yourself so that you would be able to empower your own. That brings us to The Marathon Clothing Store, located at the corner of Slauson and Crenshaw in Los Angeles. It was billed as a "smart" store because of the utilization of technology the store employed. "Marathon" is the term that Nipsey used to describe his grand master plan. In all that he did and continued to do, it was all a part of the marathon. 

Nipsey had this vision to become a one hundred percent vertical entity. That meant that he wanted to produce a product that was one hundred percent owned by him to an entity or retail space that was also one hundred percent owned by him. It's a lofty goal as many who do have the means still don't pursue such a path. But it was bigger than music. That's the one theme that I gathered from following him. It has always been bigger than music.

    Courtesy: Nailah Howze

This death of Nipsey Hussle has hit us extremely hard in the Black Community. I applaud those who were able to put thoughts together quickly and give tribute to such a  great soul. It took me slightly over a week to really figure out how I wanted to contribute to this time in our culture. In a sense, and thanks to social media, this has been a communal experience. I feel that we have been grieving together in large part and have been sharing love, which is what Nipsey truly made his life about. But there are reasons why we feel the way we do about Nipsey's death that go far beyond the gruesome and heinous murder that took place.

For far too long in our culture and otherwise, people have been critical about public figures and how they should give back. We hold public officials accountable (or at least we should) about how they should give back. For me, Nip was one of the few people who I saw put action behind his thoughts. There was no fluff. He had a purpose in his life and he was diligently going about his mission. He simply wanted to be a light for his community and he was.

    Courtesy: NBC News

Nipsey was simply the antithesis of what people made rap stars out to be. He was the tuna that swam upstream and was proud to do it. He was a leader if there ever was one. He had the moxy to sell projects for a hundred dollars to help fund the clothing store venture. He was someone who "made it" and stayed in the community. He STAYED. He created businesses that stayed in his community and employed people from his community. Chris Rock Famously said in "Never Scared" that " Wealthy White people get some money, they open a Wal Mart and allow some other White people to get some money, Black people get some money and they buy jewelry." That was true, but Nip didn't subscribe to that. We're hurt and we're angry because Nipsey was a rarity.

Another source of anger that we all share is that Nipsey was killed by one of his own. He was killed by someone from the community that he was servicing. That killer, due to his narcissism and fragile ego, couldn't allow for a disagreement to remain nonviolent. Nipsey ends up losing his life in front of his brainchild of a store in the most deplorable way possible. This brings up the polarizing issue of what do you do when you make it? Do you owe anything to your community? Should you love it from afar? I think the only wrong answer is abandoning the needs of your people. When reputable figures are gunned down the way Nipsey was, it certainly doesn't make you want to frequent the inner city. It's a harsh reality but it's also human nature. We must also recognize that not trying to improve these problems guarantees that nothing will ever change. So it's a crapshoot, but if you asked Nipsey, I'm sure he would want you to find ways to help your brother and sister.

Nipsey was a special dude because he spoke the language of his community. He connected with those people, and when he presented his plans to us, he didn't articulate himself any differently. There was a genuine nature about him. We saw what he was doing and that's so much more than we can say for others. I know he inspired us. His endeavors knew no bounds in terms of their reach. I felt like I knew him. I love what he stood for. After listening to one of his interviews I would always feel encouraged. I know that was his goal and it damn sure succeeded. Nipsey might be the epitome of the phrase "gone too soon," and I hate that it has to be that way. But it is up to us to be inspired and do things within our means to help improve ourselves to in turn improve the lives of others.

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That brings me to Nipsey's family. This Thursday they will finally be able to pay final respects to their legend and ours.  This will be one of the toughest things for them to shake in their life. Maybe they will never shake it, but I do want to extend my love. To the children, to Lauren London, to other loved ones of his that I have no knowledge to name, we as a people would love to take this burden off of you. We wish there was more that we could do, but I think you will see the true results of Nipsey's passing for years to come. We won't forget, and Nipsey's death won't be in vain. I know this because I have thought of this event every day for the past week and I know so many more have as well. This is my contribution, my eulogy. Nipsey Hussle can rest well knowing that the marathon will unequivocally continue.

These are my words and I make no apologies.

      Courtesy: CNN.com