As the world continues to mourn the death of rapper Nipsey Hussle, his girlfriend and family members have been speaking out.
Hussle was gunned down in front of his South Los Angeles store last Sunday. Since then, the alleged shooter, Eric Holder, who the Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said had a personal dispute with the 33-year-old star, has been charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder. Holder pleaded not guilty to the charges on April 5.
Hussle’s longtime partner, Lauren London, has spoken out after making her solemn Instagram post last Tuesday. The actress shares 2-year-old son Kross with Hussle; the rapper also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London arrive at the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Celebration at Nomad Hotel Los Angeles on February 7, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo: Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
“He was a protector and wanted us to be our best at all times. He was a truth seeker and truth speaker,” the star, who has dated the rapper since December 2013, told the Los Angeles Times Friday, April 5. “I’m going to keep my head high and always represent for my king to the fullest. He loved his kids. He was a family man. His family came first.”
Aside from London, Hussle’s mother, father, and brother have also spoken out.
Reflecting on his legacy, the Los Angeles-based performer’s father, Dawit Asghedom, told the newspaper “it was like he was sent by God to give some love to bring us together because that’s what his lyrics were saying, always.
“He’s not shy to tell the truth even though it might not look good,” he continued. “He wasn’t scared of anything. [God] sent him to send a message. It looks like, ‘Your time is up because you have completed what I sent you to do.’ We all have a plan, but God has his own plan. So he had completed what he needed to be doing and he did it early so [God] probably want to take him early too.”
Hussle’s mother, Angelique Smith, said she’s been “at perfect peace” with her son’s passing. She’s even been comforting mourners who have been offering her condolences.
“I would like for him to be remembered as a humble, spirited, respectful man who had, since his childhood, had an extraordinary and unlimited intellectual capacity,” Smith said.
As Hussle’s fans and loved ones mourn him, his brother, Samiel Asghedom, has been feeling haunted about how the March 31 shooting occurred. Asghedom raced to Marathon Clothing minutes after Holder reportedly shot him multiple times but before paramedics arrived. He saw his famous sibling as he took his final breaths.
Samiel arrived at the scene, where a crowd had formed around the star. He began doing chest compressions as instructed by a 911 operator.
Speaking to the L.A. Times Wednesday, Samiel reflected on Hussle’s store, Marathon Clothing, hiring mostly felons to work there, as they have a hard time securing work. Felons are not allowed to carry weapons.
“Because of that, the man was able to shoot my brother, start running, realize nobody out there had a gun, stop, turn back around, walk up, shoot my brother two more times, start to run, realize nobody had a gun, nobody was responding, ran back up and shot my brother three more times, shoot him in the head and kicked him in the head and then ran off,” Samiel said.
“If somebody would’ve been there — if I would’ve been there — I would’ve shot back,” he added. “I just wish I would’ve been there.”
Hussle took several gunshots to his head and torso. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
