My husband and I were married on March 30, 2019. We anxiously awaited our honeymoon to Las Vegas the following day. It would be our first venture to the west side of the states together. We finally arrived to Vegas and stumbled across a cute restaurant on the strip. We sat down, and I checked my Instagram.
I quickly became disheartened when I read that Ermias Asghedom, a.k.a Nipsey Hussle was shot outside of his store, The Marathon, in Los Angeles, California. As the reality of his murder set in, I began to scan the restaurant, and I noticed that I was not the only one overcome with a cloud of sadness and denial.
Most saw Nipsey as a rapper and a Crip from Crenshaw, in which I would say you were correct.
Here’s the thing though:
This was also a man who cared about shifting the positive energy of his life partner and children before they interacted with anyone or anything outside of their home. A man who employed his neighbors regardless of their criminal background. A man who was projected to make over $200 million dollars from investments and businesses.
He initially sold his eighth album Crenshaw as a limited edition for $100 in 2013. As an incentive, Nipsey also autographed the copies and included a ticket for admission to a future concert. Crenshaw completely sold out of physical copies in 24 hours and valued at $100,000.
In 2017, Nipsey and his business partner opened The Marathon, a retail store serving technological advancements, apparel, and accessories.
In 2018, he began a STEM program, Vector 90, to bridge the young talent in distressed neighborhoods to career opportunities in Silicon Valley.
Where were you when Nipsey was so viciously taken from us? Were you being kind to someone? Were you being malicious? Were you leading by example with love in your heart?
I’ll tell you what Nipsey was at his store doing what he did best: giving,he was buying clothes for a friend in need.
His kindness and willingness to give love, support, and kindness to his community and to the world is not only admirable, it is rare. I can not fully understand why such a beautiful soul was taken, but he inspires me to strive for change through my writing. He challenged us to lead with love and to pursue equal opportunities in entrepreneurship.
Leave a Reply