Jay-Z, Beyoncé, G-Eazy, Big Sean, Big Boy, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, and Meek Mill were among the thousands that gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angelesto say good-byeto Nipsey Hussle yesterday. The 33-year-old was gunned down last month at his store in the Crenshaw district.
Performers included Marsha Ambrosius, Anthony Hamilton, Jhene Aiko, and Stevie Wonder, who called for gun control before launching into “Rocket Love,” one of Nip’s favorites.
Snoop Dogg– who was fighting back tears – spoke of how he and Hussle were drawn to each other like magnets. Even though he didn’t grow up with the late rapper, “I watched him grow up in front of me.” He praised the young homie for being a visionary and for playing a unifying role he played in the culture. He closed out his remarks with, “For God so loved the world that He gave us a good Crip” – a nod to Nip’s gangsta past.
- Other speakers included YG, DJ Mustard, and his longtime love, Lauren London. She started her remarks with a text message she sent him back in January that let him know exactly how much she loved him. She spoke about how much he loved and cared for his kids and how it pained her that their son, two-year-old Kross, probably wouldn’t remember how much his dad loved him.
- President Barack Obama wasn’t in attendance, but he sent a letterthat was read by Karen Civil. He said that he was introduced to Nip’s music through his daughters. “While most people look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential,” the 44th president wrote. “He saw hope. He saw a community that even through its flaws taught him to always keep going.” Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar also wrote letters in tribute.
- After Pastor Anthony “Shep” Crawford delivered the eulogy, Hussle’s funeral processional took one final lap through the South Los Angeles neighborhoods that he loved and past the Marathon Clothing shop where he was killed. He was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Source:New York Times