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Three years after his murder, rap legend Nipsey Hussle was honored posthumously Monday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — on what would have been his 37th birthday.
The star, which was unveiled in a ceremony Monday afternoon, is located in front of Amoeba Music on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to NPR.
The ceremony included speeches and remarks from members of the late rapper’s family, including his sister, Samantha Smith; his grandmother Margaret Boutte; and his fiancée, actress Lauren London. Boutte accepted the star on behalf of the family.
“Nipsey Hussle was more than just a creative genius, he was committed to helping his community through savvy business moves and charitable contributions,” Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in a statement.
LA Metro Station named after Nipsey Hussle
Hussle’s name will also be forever cemented in Los Angeles after the city’s Metro Rail has announced the opening of a brand new station in his honor.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the station will serve the Hyde Park K Line and is located in Nipsey Hussle Square. Last weekend, Los Angeles councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson reminded fans of Nipsey’s legacy, “After he caught the vision and he understood what the train would mean to this community and his neighborhood and businesses like his, he got very involved in making sure that this train worked on behalf of our people and helped us express and live out our possibilities and our hopes and our dreams.”
Harris-Dawson continued,“From Slauson and all the way to Vernon, you will see world-class pieces of art, celebrating the history and the legacy of African American people. Everybody who comes to L.A. and rides the train out of the airport is gonna see it.”
Lauren London remembers her love from Crenshaw
Lauren London spoke on Monday to a packed crowd to speak on her life partner.
“I wanna first start by saying Happy Birthday Hussle, and to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce thank you for acknowledging a visionary,” London said. “I think I speak for the entire city of L.A. when I say that we’ve always known Hussle was destined for greatness. This moment only amplifies that for us.”
London continued, “Nip would have been honored by this moment. I think he would want everyone to remember that you can’t get to what’s possible unless you commit to moving forward. That doesn’t mean forgetting where you come from, but requires acknowledging the reality you were born into and the power you have to change that reality for the better.”
Prior to his murder, Hussle was scheduled to meet with both Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore about ways to stop gang violence across the city.
A respected rap colleague and friend, YG, like many of us, continue to miss Hussle to this day. YG told TMZ on Monday that he’d “do anything to get the homie back… to keep creating more memories.”
On June 18, another milestone was added to Hussle’s legacy: the grand opening of The Marathon Collective, a THC and CBD retail store in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. This was a huge victory given that Nipsey, his brother Samiel Asgehdom, Adam Andebrhan, and the late Stephen Donelson had been attempting to get their cannabis license since 2017.
Hussle was felt by millions who heard his songs, watched his interviews and applied his messages of entrepreneurship, morality, and love for Blackness. As a fan from afar, a few of my favorite songs were Summertime In That Cutlass, Thug Life, and Hussle and Motivate but for so many who knew Nip personally, his death and absence is felt far beyond his magic at the mic.
Blacc Sam says his family stayed away from the murder trial because it was too heavy
In an interview with CBS LA, Nipsey’s brother Blacc Samm explained why family opted not to attend the recent murder trial. “We don’t really tap too much into that. I do have a laywer that was sending me the feedback so that I can stay on what’s happening day to day and my mother and grandmother will ask me questions, so I’ll give them the feedback,” he explained.
“My family is good, thank God, and my niece is getting big, my nephew is getting big, their mothers are doing good. [The biggest challenge of the last several years] has been missing bro, but understanding that you have to keep moving forward for the family, for his kids, and really it’s just step by step, day by day,” he said.
On Wednesday, July 6, a jury in Los Angeles found Eric Holder Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. Born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, Hussle was shot and killed in front of his store “The Marathon Clothing Store” on March 31, 2019.