In a new Los Angeles Times report, the late Nipsey Hussle’s family shared statements of perseverance and how they want their beloved kin to be remembered. The messages arrive days after the 33-year-old artist was gunned down in Los Angeles (March 31). Vigils and plans to hold a memorial service have been underway.
For Dawit Asghedom, Hussle’s father, his son was born to fulfill a specific purpose and acted with positive intentions to better his community. “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 said. “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.’ 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.”
Hussle’s mother, Angelique Smith, uplifted her son’s spirit by stating she wants everyone to remember the philanthropist “as a humble, spirited, respectful man who had, since his childhood, had an extraordinary and unlimited intellectual capacity.”
In memoriam of the father-of-two, his family, friends and fans amplified the projects he was in the midst of producing, from keeping up with his business endeavors within his South Los Angeles community to working on a documentary on the holistic Dr. Sebi.
Before his passing, Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was working on a Dr. Sebi documentary. In the mid-80s, Sebi defeated a case in New York courts that stated he promoted false claims of curing AIDS. The company that sells the late doctor’s products recently honored Hussle for his work to provide resources to his community members.
“Nipsey fought for the black and Latino people of his neighborhood of Hyde Park,” the statement reads. “Long before Hussle was nominated for a Grammy, he was a champion of South L.A., and had been investing and contributing to the betterment of the community.” The company also plans to donate 10 percent of its proceeds to organizations supported by Hussle.
According to TMZ, a memorial service will be held at the Staples Center on Thursday (April 11).
