Nipsey Hussle, The Community, And What It Means To Be Black In America
I never really knew a lot about who Nipsey Hussle was besides what I heard from his music ,but it’s hard to not know him in spirit .
Hussle’s untimely murder at his clothing shop in his Crenshaw ( Slauson Ave, Los Angeles) neighborhood last Sunday was a heart wrenching result to a common story. Yet again, another insanely talented, woke, and young black man was thoughtlessly killed, police say, by another young black man, leaving behind devastation in families and communities that have become used to this type of fate.
It pains me to see that this view of black life holds no merit. But to even remotely make sense of Hussle’s murder, we have to keep it all the way real about the ruthlessness that runs rampant in African American communities, even the neighborhood that Hussle worked so hard to eradicate and save people from outcomes like this.
via People
After his death, conspiracy theories took over the internet regarding what really happened. Even Nick Cannon seemed to suggest this on an Instagram post in which he made a promise to continue Hussle’s efforts for the community. In a heartfelt post, Cannon wrote, “Because they can’t kill us all! Spiritual Warfare is REAL and in full effect.” Even Hussle’s final post on Twitter—“Having strong enemies is a blessing”— parallels the moment when Malcolm X foresaw his own assassination.
Hussle was an advocate for the people, especially black ownership, and took strides to touch bases in the financial sector because it’s usually forgotten in the black communities. He wanted to further create different outlets so young black people have a chance to change their world for the better.
via Shondaland
However, Hussle wasn’t murdered because he was a symbol of black freedom. He was murdered, as the saying goes, “not everybody who is your homie is for you”.
The conspiracy theories were easier to digest than the truth. Hussle was murdered in broad daylight outside of his own clothing store. The LAPD have stated that a suspect named Eric Holder murdered Hussle over a personal problem. TMZ credited unnamed law-enforcement sources as saying that Holder turned to violence because he felt that Hussle disrespected him.
Unfortunately, if Hussle hadn’t been well revered in the rap game, his death would be an ordinary occurrence because of the statistics on aggression in the black community.
Some of the most recent crime statistics in Los Angeles show that blacks account for only 8 percent of the city’s population, yet they make up 36 percent of homicide victims.
The pestilence of violence has been known for years in African American communities , but it’s more comforting to think that Hussle’s death was linked to the Dr. Sebi documentary he was going to release. The Honduran healer Alfredo Bowman, most notably known as Dr. Sebi, claimed to have herbal cures for diabetes, arthritis, AIDS, and other terminal diseases. For years after his death in 2016, conspiracists have speculated that Bowman was murdered because he was a threat to the pharmaceutical industry.
via LA Loyolan
On the other spectrum, speculation to Hussle’s murder also stemmed from his connection to real-estate developer David Gross to open a co-working space and STEM center in his old Crenshaw neighborhood, and was also set to meet with the LAPD to discuss effective ways to eliminate gang violence in Southern L.A. The establishment “feared” his positivity so much that it took his life.
There is a plethora of precedents for black leaders of change leaving the earth long before they deserve to. So many cases exist of the government undermining and abusing people who went against the grain for what they believe in. And with the constant dynamics that make it hard for black people such as Hussle to rise above a systematic barrier, the consequences and the roadblocks provide no care into who’s hopes and dreams they are destroying along the way. Hussle will forever be in the hearts of everyone as someone who never turned his back on humanity.
Cover image via Denver Post
