Nipsey Hussle and YG's new anti-Donald Trump anthem "Fuck Donald Trump" is a song so caustic (and black) that its music video shoot got shut down by the cops. The most important aspect of the song is that it marked the beginning of a new career chapter for Hussle, who has shown few signs of life since he released his last project Mailbox Money on the last day of 2014.
For the first time (in what feels like an eternity), Hussle's promises that his debut album Victory Lap is near on the horizon are starting to appear legitimate. Click through the gallery to see why.
Working on 'Victory Lap' in his new studio
Nipsey has been in "album mode" since he got back from the "Crenshaw" tour in February 2014. Despite assurances that he would drop his debut album Victory Lap in 2015, it never arrived.
While Hussle performed 41 shows in 2015, he has performed only three to date in 2016. Which hopefully means he is more in "album mode" than ever before. In 2014 he built a new studio in Burbank, which comes with a "high overhead" but is harmonious with Hussle's values. “I believe in ownership. I believe in investing in yourself.”
Turning down Snoop Dogg's offer to portray him in the N.W.A. biopic
If Snoop Dogg had had it his way, the man who would have portrayed him N.W.A. biopic "Straight Outta Compton" would have been Nipsey Hussle, his young doppelganger and disciple. But Hussle declined.
Snoop spoke on the topic in May 2015, three months before "Straight Outta Compton" hit theaters, during an interview with DJ Whoo Kid. “I would've preferred Nipsey Hussle for the look," he said, "but Nipsey wanted to do his own thing, which I respect.”
"He don’t wanna be in my shadows as far as being so much associated with Snoop Dogg," Snoop continued. "And he’s doing a great job of creating his own lane right now, so I respect him for that. I tried to holler at him though…I feel him cause I’m like, I’m the same kind of way. Like ‘I don’t wanna be up under your shadow forever. I wanna be able to say that I’m just as big as you if not bigger than you."
Two weeks after that interview, Hussle explained his reasoning for turning down the role.
"I study branding," he said. "One of the laws is, don't walk in no great man's shoes... I think I could have pulled it off authentic, because I grew up on Snoop," Nipsey told Big Boy last June (10:00 mark below). "But I just feel like there's people in America and in the world that might not have heard of Nipsey Hussley yet. And that might be the first they get to exposed [to me], as an actor portraying Snoop.... I gotta stick to my guns."
Occasionaly collaborating
Last month, Hussle released his first song as a lead artist in sixteen months. Below is every song Hussle has appeared on since Mailbox Money dropped on December 31, 2014.
2015
2016
Marathon Mondays and the march to 'Victory Lap'
On April 18, Hussle shared the following message on Twitter: "Music drought is over. I’ll release new music every Monday until Victory Lap drops."
So far, he has been true to his word. In two weeks he has delivered two songs "Thug Life" and "Ocean Views." While there's no saying exactly when Victory Lap will drop, prospects are more exciting for Hussle and his fans than ever before. The promise of new music weekly until the album is ready is something very different than "album mode." Hussle is a rapper of principle. He is an independent artist who values his fanbase. He is sure to deliver.