nipsey hussle – Dj Roots Queen

Nipsey Hussle: A Short Essay

April 11, 2019 by Dj RootsQueen

by Brittney “Chiney K” Powell

What Nipsey Hussle’s Death Taught Me

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 09: Nipsey Hussle attends 2019 Roc Nation THE BRUNCH on February 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Roc Nation )

What Nipsey Hussle’s death has taught me is that we are our own detriment and many of us do not know our own history. As I look down my timeline and see so many posts in reference to Nipsey, I realize the impact he had on the black community. When we first heard the news, we wanted answers. We were angered to finally know it was one of our own; and in true social media fashion everyone became a detective. Out of all of the “detective” work, what stood out to me the most were the conspiracy theories and the doubters. Many people believe that Nipsey was assassinated because of his Dr. Sebi documentary, while many people think that is absolutely ridiculous. The people that thought these theories were so far fetched and ridiculous, lead me to believe many black people don’t know their history. So alas a short history lesson.

Abraham Lincoln, MLK, and JFK. What do they have in common? They each did something groundbreaking for black people in this country and influential to other countries. Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation proclamation. MLK fought for Civil Rights for black people. JFK introduced the civil rights act of 1964 which would grant equal rights for black people. What else do they have in common? All of them were assassinated. (Hold on to this thought )

True story

In 1956 the FBI created COINTELPRO which long story short infiltrated many black progressives/activists and their organizations. This included MLK, The Nation of Islam, and the Black Panthers. Aside from MLK the most powerful leaders from these organizations were assassinated by one of our own through infiltration . For example Malcolm X was a powerful leader in the Nation of Islam and he was assassinated by a black man. Huey P Newton founder of the Black Panthers was assassinated by a black man. (Hold on to this thought)

Now we fast forward to modern day activist. Many of the key Ferguson/ Black lives Matter activists have ironically died from “suicide”. (These are facts). So now historical facts have shown us when black organizers make some noise they get assassinated or put up on some random charges. For example our sister Marielle Franco in Brazil fought for the poor and black people in Brazil and was later assassinated.

Now Nipsey was encouraging black people to invest in their own communities and start their own businesses (which is the solution for 90% of black issues but that’s another story for another day). He was also bringing attention to holistic medicine which is no good for pharmaceutical companies. We finally found out who killed Nipsey and alas it’s a black man who was also an informant.

To put this in perspective think about the 1998 film Belly. In one of the last scenes, a white cop approaches Tommy (DMX’s character) with blackmail to get him to assassinate a black leader. Tommy has already killed many of people, so to save his ass he has no problem killing the black leader. He infiltrated the organization and learned their ways and became a changed man. The white cop’s clear instruction was for Tommy to make sure the black leader did not give his speech, which I’m assuming was going to be a powerful one. In the end Tommy went to kill the leader (who already knew he was coming) but couldn’t pull the trigger.

All of these points made to say this: while we will never know if Nipsey’s death was an assassination or just some street shit, these conspiracy theories are not far fetched because

history

Many people on social media are just jumping on bandwagons and not doing their own research. Dr. Sebi never said women are not supposed to have periods, he said periods are not supposed to last as long as they do. A simple google search could of shut that down, but leave it to our own to discredit another black man in a heartbeat.

The saddest part of this all is not that “they” try to tear us down, it’s the fact that they can get one of US to do it. They can kill a few but they can’t kill us all. UNITY y’all ; the word of the day.

Brittney “Chiney K” Powell is a journalist, communications specialist, and creative; based in Atlanta, GA. She holds a B.A degree in African American Studies from Georgia State University.

The Legacy of Nipsey Hussle

April 6, 2019 by Dj RootsQueen

Celebrity News, Hip Hop, News

hip hop, nipsey hussle

by Anne Carlson

Rapper and Community Activist Nipsey Hussle has Died

On Sunday, March 31, rapper and community activist Nipsey Hussle was killed in a shooting outside his Marathon clothing store near Slauson and Crenshaw Avenue in South Los Angeles while helping an ex-con friend who had just been released from prison. He was donating clothing to the man before he was to meet with his friends and family later that day. His tragic murder by long time associate, Eric Holder, has created a shift in the Universe, affecting communities world-wide, making him an urban hero who is being likened to Tupac, Haille Selassie and other black leaders.

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Nipsey Hussle attends the Warner Music Pre-Grammy Party at the NoMad Hotel on February 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Warner Music)

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 too 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.” We all have a plan, but God has his own plan.
Dawit Asghedom, his father

It may be hard for some to understand how so many people could love and admire a known gang member, street entrepreneur, and rapper. It may be hard to understand why this is national news. Why is all of hip hop, along with the LA police chief mourning his death? Why have rival gangs, Christians, black Muslims, Rastafarians, multiple races and socioeconomic groups taken time this week to pay their respects? Why is every city in America and Ethiopia holding vigils to honor this man?

Understanding the Nuances of Gang Affiliation

The answer to these questions is simple yet very powerful. Let’s start with Gang Affiliation. There are many nuances to be considered. For many youth who are raised in communities of systematic poverty and violence, gang affiliation is a natural way of life. For many, there are no alternative options. For some, the familial affiliation can be 3 to 4 generations deep. It’s woven into the fabric of family and identity. To walk away can be not only a death sentence, but also mean a life of lonely banishment from their family structure. For others, it’s making a life-altering decision at 10 years old because they are tired of being jumped while walking home from school. Sometimes it’s about finally receiving positive affirmation from a male figure of the same ethnicity, as in Tupac’s situation. For some, they want to wile out in their depravity. For all, it’s a way to cope with the deep saturation of hopelessness that reigns in inner city communities. There are layers of systematic pain that bombard America’s poorest communities nonstop.

Nipsey’s Important Community Works

Born Ermias Asghedom, Nipsey was a first generation Eritrean-American raised in South Central Los Angeles. His neighborhood is ruled by the street gang, The Rollin’ 60s Crips. He was a member of this gang. Nipsey grew in street cred and popularity but didn’t speak like his peers. He spoke about purchasing jewelry and cars as a liability. In his first interview, He spoke on how he was interested in buying real estate and opening businesses at 19 years old. He talked about what happens when there is a lack of opportunity and resources. His goal was to create opportunities for financial security and business ownership. These were not empty words.

Nipsey Hussle’s clothing store, Marathon, was the first “smart” clothing store of its kind. Each clothing item had a scannable tag that was activated once purchased. The consumer was then able to scan the QR code and listen to unreleased Nipsey Hussle music, often with major artists he’d collaborated with. The money was used to fund restaurants and other businesses in the area surrounding his store. He invested millions in renovations to make healthier eating choices available. He chose this area because people in the community typically didn’t have vehicles, so their options of quality clothing and healthier food choices were limited.

He opened Vector 90 with Dave Gross, a co-working space that launched a STEM program for young students to bridge the gap between inner city youth and silicon valley. The campaign was titled Too Big to Fail.

On Lauren London

The way he looked at actress Lauren London, his long time partner, let you know it was different from so many other celebrity relationships. It was true love. And he had respect for women. In his documentary with Steph Curry, 5 Minutes from Home, Hussle spoke on the importance of respecting your mother and grandmother, and its significance on how you’ll treat your wife. Nipsey said to Steph: “I just don’t want to be a hypocrite to my own kids in the way a woman should be treated. You respect your mom, you respect your woman so your children can have a solid example of greatness.”

He was a protector and wanted us to be our best at all times. He was a truth speaker and truth seeker.
Lauren London

The Marathon Continues

When he died, Nipsey was in the process of working with the LA police chief and Roc Nation on how to cultivate better relations between LAPD and young people of color.

Nipsey Hussle’s legacy will be cemented in U.S. history forever. Congress-member Karen Bass has revealed that she will be entering his contributions to his community in the congressional records.

TMZ has reported that his family is holding his funeral at Staples Center, where the LA Lakers play. Sources say the service will take place on Thursday morning at the 21,000 seat venue, a fitting honor for a king.