Nipsey Hussle’s legacy endures a year after his death

LOS ANGELES — The year since Nipsey Hussle was gunned down has not diminished the rapper’s legacy, but rather cemented it and continues to prove true his catchphrase, “The Marathon Continues.” Tuesday marks the first anniversary of Hussle’s death and his popularity and influence pushes forward as strong as ever. “It created an opportunity for conversations to happen, for communication to happen, for leadership to happen that maybe wouldn’t have happened otherwise in the memory and spirit of Nipsey Hussle,” Anne Tremblay, director of Gang Reduction and Youth Development program in Los Angeles, said earlier this year. After years of selling his highly popular mixtapes out his car trunk, Hussle broke through in 2018 with “Victory Lap.” His critically-acclaimed, major-label debut album on Atlantic Records earned him his first Grammy nomination, though he lost out to Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy.” Rapper Slim Thug called Hussle’s music “timeless.” “You can go back and listen to his old music and find these gems just like you’re listening to on ‘Victory Lap,’'" said Thug, who recorded the song “Go Long” with Hussle and Z-Ro. However, since Hussle’s death, his flagship store has been fenced off and closed for the “foreseeable future,” the business announced on social media last year.