Born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, Nipsey Hussle came to Earth in Los Angeles, CA in 1985. He was born and bred in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Central LA. His father Dawit Asghedom immigrated from Eretria and his mother Angelique Smith is African American. He was inspired by Snoop and other west coast rappers and made a way for himself as a rapper.
Hussle was a member of the Rollin’ 60s Crips, an LA gang, but it didn’t stop him from making his neighborhood a better place. He was a member of XXL’s 2010 Freshman Class and gained respect for his clever marketing of releases such as his $100 each CD Crenshaw and Marathon mixtape series.
Nipsey was a Grammy-nominated artist for his album Victory Lap when he was tragically gunned down in front of his Marathon Clothing store on March 31, 2019, at the age of 33 by a local gang member. He has since received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.