Nipsey Hussle‘s family wants to carry on the late rapper’s passions, and they’re doing that through the new Neighborhood Nip Foundation that will help children who want to become recording artists.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Hussle’s mother Angelique Smith sent the “Victory Lap” creator as a teenager to a program called Watts Towers that allowed him to record songs for free.
Between riding his bike and taking public transportation, Watts was a long four-hour commute for Hussle, and he was only allowed to record for one hour at a time. But the program was still a big help to him, which he never forgot about.
“There were teachers, volunteers, who taught the kids how to make beats and how to record themselves. And it was free,” Hussle’s brother Samiel Asghedom told the Los Angeles Times.
“We used to talk a lot about [what the Watts Towers program] meant to him. A push, a little help can go a long way, and that’s what this foundation will 100 percent be about,” he added. “The foundation will be aligned with everything Nip believed in and what helped him.”
Hussle’s label Atlantic Records was the first one to donate to the Neighborhood Nip Foundation, according to the rapper’s friend and business partner Karen Civil. And the donation was reportedly in the six-figure range.
“Nipsey will be forever missed, but his courageous, generous spirit lives on in his incredible music and the impact he made on the community,” read a joint statement from Atlantic’s CEO Craig Kallman and COO Julie Greenwald.
“Nip’s love for the generation coming up behind him is a big part of what’s inspiring this foundation, and we’re proud to celebrate his life by supporting his legacy,” it continued.
Asghedom said the family is still hammering out the foundation’s initiatives, but all of the programs will center on kids and music.
Puma will be donating to the foundation as well, because the company partnered with Hussle for his own collection that will be released on Sept. 5.
Plus, a “Marathon Gallery” opened in the sneaker store Shoe Palace in Los Angeles on Friday that will run until Sept. 4. The gallery is based on “very special photographs” taken of Hussle over the past decade.
The “Racks in the Middle” rapper was killed at 33 by gunfire on March 31 outside of his Marathon Clothing Store in South Angeles.
The suspected shooter is named Eric Holder, who’s pleaded not guilty. He’s currently in jail on a $7,040,000 bond.
