6 things you need to know about rapper Nipsey Hussle

American rapper Nipsey Hussle on stage at the Warner Music Pre-Grammy Party at the NoMad Hotel in Los Angeles on February 07, 2019. He was among three people shot outside of his store, Marathon Clothing Company, on March 31, 2019 in Hyde Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. PHOTO | AFP

What you need to know:

  • He was in a street gang in the early 1990s, but developed a love of music and technology and left the gang.
  • His album “Victory Lap”, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019.

Grammy-nominated musician Nipsey Hussle went from being in a street gang to a community leader. He was part of the street gang Rollin '60s Neighborhood Crips as a teenager.

On Sunday in a shocking incident, the rapper was shot multiple times in Los Angeles, right outside his clothing store, and tragically passed away.

What many didn’t know was that Nipsey, real name Ermias Davidson Asghedom, was going to sit down with the president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and the city’s chief of police to tackle an issue that, along with his music, has come to define his life: gang violence.

According to Steve Soboroff, president of the city’s police commission, Nipsey had wanted “to talk about ways he could help stop gang violence and help kids.”

American rapper Nipsey Hussle at the 2019 Roc Nation THE BRUNCH in Los Angeles on February 09, 2019. PHOTO | AFP

Here are six things about the rapper.

1. Nipsey overcame life in a street gang when he was younger – He was in a street gang in the early 1990s, but developed a love of music and technology and left the gang.

2. He was a father – At the time of his death he was in a relationship and has a two-year-old son named Kross Asghedom. 

3. He recently released his first studio album – His album “Victory Lap”, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019. It featured artists YG, Puff Daddy and Kendrick Lamar. Before the album, he had released four mixtapes: “The Marathon”, “The Marathon Continues”, “Crenshaw” and “Mailbox Money”.

Police outside The Marathon clothing store owned by Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle where he was fatally shot along with two other wounded, in Los Angeles, on March 31, 2019. PHOTO | MARK RALSTON | AFP

4. He collaborated with some of the industry’s biggest rappers during his career – Nipsey had worked with Drake on the song “Killer” and also appeared on YG’s 2012 single “B*tches Ain’t Sh*t”, which featured Tyga and Snoop Dogg.

5. Nipsey was a well-known community organiser – He was involved in the Destination Crenshaw arts project. He was also involved with opening Vector 90, a science, technology, engineering and mathematics-centric work space in the hard-scrabble Crenshaw neighbourhood.

6. He ran a clothing store – His Marathon Clothing store opened in June 2017, running on the smart store concept. It was a retail destination where fans could buy merchandise and preview exclusive content from the rapper through an app that worked in the store.