Nipsey Hussle: Barack Obama pays moving tribute to late rapper during memorial service
'While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighbourhood where he grew up and only see gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential,' says Mr Obama
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Your support makes all the difference.Barack Obama has paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle in a moving letter read during a public memorial service for the late rapper.
Family, friends, and 21,000 others filled the Staples Centre on Thursday to honour the rap star’s life and legacy.
Blogger and media figure Karen Civil read the letter sent by the former president, highlighting Hussle’s contributions to the community in the Crenshaw neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
“I’ve never meet Nipsey, but I’ve heard his music through my daughters, and after his passing I had the chance to learn more about his transformation and his community work,” Mr Obama wrote.
“While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighbourhood where he grew up and only see gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that even through its flaws taught him to always keep going.”
Mr Obama added of Hussle: “He choice to invest in that community rather than to ignore it. He set an example for young people to follow and is a legacy worth of celebration.
“I hope his memory inspires more good work in Crenshaw and communities like it. Michelle and I send our sympathies to Lauren, Emani, Kross, and the entire Ashgedom family and to all those who love Nipsey.”
Hussle was fatally shot last month in front of The Marathon, a store that he tried to use to empower his South Central neighbourhood. Most who filed in for the public memorial at arena Thursday were young adults, but ages ranged from small children to the elderly.
Eric R& Holder Jr, who has been charged in the case, has pleaded not guilty.
The 33-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was an Eritrean-American father of two. He was a beloved figure for his philanthropic work.
Hussle had recently purchased the strip mall where The Marathon is located and planned to redevelop it as part of his broader ambitions to remake the neighbourhood where he grew up.
Additional reporting by agencies