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Ermias Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, activist, and entrepreneur. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, which led to him being signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.

Ermias Joseph Asghedom was born on August 15, 1985, in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California,to Angelique Smith, an African-American woman, and Dawit Asghedom, an Eritrean immigrant. He was raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles with his brother Samuel and his sister Samantha. Asghedom attended Alexander Hamilton High School in the nearby Castle Heights neighborhood, but dropped out before graduating. At the age of 14, Asghedom left home and joined the local Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips, a sub-group of the larger Crips gang primarily based in his home neighborhood of Crenshaw. His stage name, a play on the name of comedian Nipsey Russell, originated as a nickname given to Asghedom by a childhood friend. At the age of 19, Asghedom's father took both him and his brother Samuel on a trip to Eritrea, East Africa for three months in 2004.Asghedom credited the trip with inspiring him to become a community activist with an "entrepreneurial spirit

Death

On March 31, 2019, Hussle was shot at least 10 times in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles at 3:18 p.m. Gunshot wounds included a shot to his right chest, a shot that entered into his abdomen near his navel and severed his spinal cord, a gunshot wound to the right side of his back that penetrated into his chest and struck his lung, and a gunshot wound to "the posterior top" of his scalp. Two others were wounded in the shooting. All three victims were transported to a hospital, where Hussle was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. He was 33 years old. Rapper GBO Gaston claimed to have killed Nipsey Hussle on an Instagram post before the suspected perpetrator was arrested.Police have identified 29-year-old Eric Ronald Holder Jr. as the suspect.

Investigators believe Eric Holder, the suspect, was known to the rapper and that the shooting was possibly motivated by a personal matter.On April 2, 2019, Holder was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department and was being held in solitary confinement.On May 9, a grand jury indicted Holder on one count of murder, two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. On February 9, 2020, Judge Robert Perry said he hoped to begin the murder trial by early April.

Hussle is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Southern California.His brother, Samiel Asghedom, was appointed the permanent administrator of Hussle's estate.

Hussle's memorial service was held on April 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with tickets provided free of charge. A letter from former president Barack Obama praised the rapper for his work in the community: While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets, and despair, Nipsey saw potential

A petition was started to rename the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard near Hussle's store Marathon Clothing to "Nipsey Hussle Square". On the day of his funeral, the council announced it was set to be renamed Ermias "Nipsey Hussle" Asghedom Square to honor him and his contributions to the neighborhood.

Mural of Nipsey Hussle painted in Toronto, Canada

There was a strong artistic response to Nipsey Hussle's death. Within a few months, over 50 murals dedicated to the rapper were painted in the City of Los Angeles. One mural is in an alley near the strip mall where he was killed. Hussle's store has remained closed since his death