Los Angeles (USA), – Thousands of people threw themselves into the street in Los Angeles (USA) Thursday to give the last goodbye to Nipsey Hussle, the rapper shot to death at age 33 on 31 March and who today dedicated a multitudinous tribute and a procession that toured the Californian city.
The day, which reflected the great respect and affection that the African-American community felt for the musician, ended however with a very negative note due to a shooting in a section of the procession that left one dead and three wounded.
“We have to stop this senseless violence,” Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said on Twitter when he announced the event.
The Staples Center, the stadium with capacity for 21,000 people in which they play teams like Los Angeles Lakers, was the place chosen so that fans of Nipsey Hussle could say goodbye to the rapper and remember his artistic and philanthropic legacy.
Legends of black music such as Stevie Wonder or Snoop Dogg intervened in this massive act that took place in the morning.
During the ceremony, a letter written by the former president of the United States Barack Obama (2009-2017) was also read.
“While most of them look at the Crenshaw neighborhood, where he grew up, and only see gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential, he saw hope,” Obama said.
Later, the body of the rapper, in a car decorated with flags of Eritrea (the country of his ancestry), left the center of the city, where is the Staples Center, to tour the streets of South Los Angeles, an area known for its poverty and violence and where the artist grew up.
Proud of his modest origins, Ermias Asghedom, his real name, was not only one of the most prominent rappers of the west coast in recent years but also noted for his philanthropic and social work to bring his community forward.
After several years in which he released different singles and mixtapes, Nipsey Hussle published in 2018 his debut album, “Victory Lap”.
Thanks to this record he obtained a nomination for the best rap album in the 61st edition of the Grammy.
The murder of Nipsey Hussle occurred on March 31 in the afternoon and at the gates of his clothing store Marathon Clothing.
Two days after the crime, authorities arrested Eric Holder, a 29-year-old Angelino, as a suspect.
The circumstances of the murder, shot and with a car waiting for the flight, led investigators to relate it to gang violence (Nipsey Hussle was a member of a faction of the Crips).
However, the police now believe that the murder was due to a personal discussion.
American rap, a world in which deaths from violence have been frequent throughout its history, suffered the murders of XXX Temptation and Jimmy Wopo (EFE) last year.
