Nipsey Hussle was a ‘protector’ and a ‘family man’

Racks In the Middle rapper Nipsey Hussle tragically died last week at the age of 33 after being shot and his long-time partner, Lauren London, has paid tribute to her late boyfriend as she vowed to “always represent for her king to the fullest”.

She said: “He was a protector and wanted us to be our best at all times. He was a truth seeker and truth speaker. 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.”

Angelique Smith, his mother, also hoped he would be remembered for being a “humble, spirited, respectful man”.

She added: “I would like for him to be remembered as a man who had, since his childhood, had an extraordinary and unlimited intellectual capacity. [The mourners]are chasing away the spirit of fear and grief ... retaliation and anger.”

And Dawit Asghedom, his father, praised him for not being ‘scared of anything’ and for always going out of his way to help others.

He told the Los Angeles Times: “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 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.’

God’s plan

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.”

Meanwhile, a memorial service for Nipsey Hussle will be held Thursday at the 21,000-capacity Staples Center in the rapper’s home town of Los Angeles, a source close to the situation confirmed to Variety.

Eric Holder, 29, has been charged with Hussle’s murder and attempted murder for shooting two of Hussle’s associates.

He appeared in Los Angeles court dressed in his blue prison uniform last Thursday, alongside his defence attorney, Chris Darden, who gained nationwide fame as part of the prosecution team at O.J. Simpson’s 1995 murder trial.

Holder was arrested on Wednesday over the murder of the rapper outside his LA clothing store three days earlier. He has been reportedly held in solitary confinement in prison.

Darden told the judge that his client was pleading not guilty to charges of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

The judge set the bail at US$5 million at the request of the district attorney, a drop from the original US$7 million set by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Rebuffing Darden’s request to ban media filming of the proceedings, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told the judge that ‘identification won’t be an issue in the case based on the information we have’, suggesting CCTV footage of the shooting may play a role in the DA’s case. Authorities say Holder and Hussle, who knew each other, had several conversations last week Sunday outside the rapper’s South LA clothing store.

If convicted, Holder faces life in prison. Holder is accused of arguing with Hussle then walking away and returning with a handgun to shoot him and two associates. The two other men survived, but the rapper was pronounced dead at the hospital.