R.I.P.: Nipsey Hustle, Grammy Nominated Rapper

Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed Sunday afternoon, shot in broad daylight outside his store in South Los Angeles in a burst of gunfire that left two other people wounded, according to The L-A Times.

Hussle, who was known as much for his work in the community as for his music, was hit multiple times about 3:20 p.m. in front of his store, the Marathon Clothing, at 3420 W. Slauson Ave., police said. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 33.

Details remain scant, but a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said Hussle was shot by a young man who opened fire at close range and then ran to a waiting getaway car. Based on initial information, the shooter is probably associated with a gang, the source said.

At a news briefing, Los Angeles Police Lt. Chris Ramirez described the suspect only as a black male and said he is still at large.

Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was a popular hip-hop artist who, after releasing his highly anticipated debut album “Victory Lap” in 2018, was nominated for a Grammy for best rap album.

Hundreds are gathered where rapper @NipseyHussle was fatally shot this afternoon in front of his Hyde Park clothing store, The Marathon. Fans are blasting his music and bringing flowers/candles to the location to mourn his death. #NIPSEYHUSSLE @NBCLA @RickNBCLA pic.twitter.com/MwHWZYKqd3

— Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) April 1, 2019

Those who knew him described Hussle as a pillar of the community.

The rapper owned several businesses on the block where he was shot, said 54-year-old Hyde Park resident Glenn Taylor, including a burger restaurant, a barbershop and a fish market. He was known to give jobs to residents who were struggling to get by, some of them homeless. He once gave a pair of shoes to every student at 59th Street Elementary School. He also donated money to renovate the school’s playground and basketball courts.

Hussle grew up in South L.A. in the 1990s. He made no secret of his early life in a street gang, saying in a 2014 interview with YouTube channel Vlad TV that he had joined the Rollin’ 60s, a notorious Crips gang clique, as a teenager.

“We dealt with death, with murder,” he told The Times in 2018. “It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it. I guess they call it post-traumatic stress, when you have people that have been at war for such a long time. I think L.A. suffers from that because it’s not normal yet we embrace it like it is after a while.”