You know how a typical Sunday afternoon goes in a black baptist household. After church we grab a bite to eat and then head home to take our after church nap. This is typically how it goes unless there’s a special occasion. Waking up from my nap this day felt different though. I opened my eyes that evening and the room was dimly lit. And it was weirdly quiet. My boyfriend and I sat on the couch checking our phones for everything we’d missed while napping. I’m scrolling on IG and then I see it. I remember like it was yesterday. The headline on the Shaderoom read something like this: “Shooting At The Marathon Clothing Store, 3 Shot” Immediately my heart sank. My subconscious began praying, "Lord please don’t let it be Nipsey.” Updates start flowing in. “3 shot, 1 dead in shooting at the Marathon Clothing store.” My boyfriend and I are in full panic mode. All of this is happening so quickly. Lord please don’t let it be Nipsey. Maybe 20 minutes later, TMZ updates. I remember yelling, “Nooooooo” so loud I scared myself as the tears began to form in my eyes. Man, tears are still forming as I write this. I was shocked. I was appalled. I was hurt, confused and SHOOK to my core. Disgusted at just the thought of losing such a gem and in such a horrific way. You grind all your life to build something great. Something innovative. Something life changing for your community. Only to be gunned down in front of the first thing you put your heart into.
Young Nipsey Hussle. Nipsey Hussle the Great. Neighborhood Nip. A legend. A Father. A Son. A Brother. A Husband. An all around great human being. A pivotal person. Prolific. This loss hit us all hard as a people. Never did we imagine something like this occurring. Nipsey gave us SO MUCH. He had his hands in a lot of different things and he gave us a lot of much needed information and game. He was a gem. Something truly special. Sometimes, this whole thing still doesn’t feel real. Losing Nipsey Hussle showed me a lot about how people grieve. It showed me a lot of folk's true colors. It showed how quickly misinformation is spread across the internet and social media. It also showed me the depth of his impact. How he touched people from the West Coast to the East Coast. He brought the Bloods and Crips together. He brought the whole city of LA out. He brought light to so many folks lives. He opened doors, started companies, gave second chances and did what a lot of black folks with money should be doing. He was funneling his hard earned money back into his community. Because society doesn’t give our young black kids the opportunities they deserve. They put them down and count them out. Nipsey was making sure that the next generation had the opportunities and abilities to go just as far and farther than he did.
The Marathon Continues. This day and forever. If you’re like me, you’ve dedicated the rest of your life to doing the true work and rebuilding your community for the next generation. You feel like playing it small would be a disrespect to yourself and to the legacy of Nipsey Hussle. Nothing about his life, his character or his personality was small. His spirit filled places and changed lives. You’re probably wondering how I know right? Because I never met him right. But I can see and experience the vastness of his impact through the many people he knew, loved, touched and impacted. Young Nipsey Hussle was an exemplary young man. I’m glad God blessed us with him for the time we got. His legacy will live on forever. The Marathon will continue forever. We’re playing the long game this way. For the love of Neighborhood Nip. And I’ll forever own ALL my masters bruh lol. Period. Rest Easy King!