Seven years ago this month, the South Central LA rapper and philanthropist Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed at age 33 outside Marathon Clothing, the store he opened in Hyde Park. After his death, fans quickly started a petition to rename the nearby intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard of to Nipsey Hussle Square. On the day of Nipsey's funeral, city council said they'd be going forward with the decision. That finally came to fruition on Saturday.
Marathon Clothing reopened at a different location after Nipsey's murder, with the original location near Slauson and Crenshaw now serving as a memorial; now, the area has a new Nipple Hussle Square sign, unveiled on Saturday morning. The ceremony included appearances from Nipsey's brother Blacc Sam (now CEO of Marathon), his former partner Lauren London, Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, councilmember Heather Hutt, and California State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan.
"I think that everybody who knew Hussle knows that Hussle loved the area. Crenshaw and Slauson meant everything to bro," Blacc Sam said. "This corner has a lot of memories." London recalled: ""When me and Nip first started dating, we would drive by over here and he would be like, 'You know, Boogie, one day, they're gonna name this whole section after me.' And here we are today." See some photos and clips of the event below.
Nipsey Hussle's death was met with a massive outpouring of grief from the hip-hop world and beyond. The following month, LA's Staples Center was packed during a public memorial service that featured tributes from his collaborators like Kendrick Lamar and YG, athletes like Russell Westbrook, and the reading of a letter from Barack Obama. His Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy-featuring song "Racks In The Middle" earned Nipsey his first Grammy, and his other posthumous honors include a Hollywood Walk Of Fame star, a renamed Metro station, and a dedicated Nipsey Hussle Day in LA. Meanwhile his killer Eric R. Holder Jr. is serving a 60-year jail sentence after being found guilty of first-degree murder.
