There have been many loved ones of Nipsey Hussle who have come forward to speak praise and adoration for the slain rapper in the days following his murder. Strangers, collaborators, associates, friends, family, and even his love, Lauren London, have given public tributes during this unbelievably tragic moment in hip hop.
Yesterday, Nipsey's brother, Samiel Asghedom, spoke with ABC News for an emotional phone interview where he spoke candidly about his admiration for his role model sibling. "He was a brother, a musician, an entrepreneur, a people's champ," Asghedom said. "He was somebody that believed in the process of hard work, determination and just the positivity of somebody staying in the area that he grew up in and making something out of nothing...he was a role model to the community, to the kids, and to the mothers and the grandmothers and the community that watched him grow up and seen him as a youngster, (and now) a family man, a father, raising his kids."
Speaking on the thousands of people who came to pay their respects at the ongoing vigil in front of Nipsey's Marathon store, his brother said "People came to celebrate and show support, just come to see what a youngster from the area did on his own with no help. He pulled himself from his boot strings, laying roots through everything — police problems, as a black male trying to grow up and be enterprising, we face a lot of things in the community, you know, the politics within the hood, just hate. He transcended everything and just stayed there and became a beacon of light."
Asghedom said Nipsey was always asked, "Why do you have something in this area? Why don’t you leave and do something else?...but he was murdered while he was in a parking lot, hanging out, selling CDs and that’s the area that he felt attached to and did everything in the area and ended up buying a lot and rehabilitating, opening up businesses and just became a landmark for everybody."
Nipsey's good friend and business partner Karen Civil also spoke with ABC News about the rapper. As the Chief Marketing Officer of The Marathon Agency, Civil knew, personally, the vision that Nipsey had for this generation and the ones to follow. "You lead by example and he did that with the way he taught you about understanding entrepreneurship, business, understanding black capital, creating value, owning real estate ... that's what he called 'husslenomics.'"
According to TMZ, when Nipsey['s family members received news that he'd been shot, they all rushed to the hospital. They claim Lauren London, YG, DJ Mustard, Dom Kennedy, Karen Civil, twins Malika and Khadijah, his bodyguard, J-Roc, and his brother were all on at the hospital together when they received news that he's passed away. Rest in power, Nipsey.