It's hard to imagine a time when the late Nipsey Hussle wasn't a commercial juggernaut, earning Grammy nominations and platinum plaques to his name. Yet anybody who has followed Nip from the outset understands the extent of his dedication, not only to the hustle but to his own creative vision. After a bold decision to price his limited-edition Crenshaw mixtape at $100 per unit, it became clear that Nip's business acumen was top tier -- before long, the world was coming to understand the extent of it.
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Prior to his passing, it seemed as if Nipsey Hussle was on the verge of breaking out even further. His official studio debut album Victory Lap was steadily drawing in a wider audience, and his "Racks In The Middle" was a promising step toward a new direction. Unfortunately, his death put an untimely end to that, leaving the game in a collective state of mourning. Today, longtime collaborator Derek "MixedByAli" Ali took to Instagram to pay respects, highlighting a collection of plaques he earned with Nipsey Hussle.
"You did it bro," captions Ali, standing in front of an impressive display. The plaques in question are for "Dedication," "Hussle & Motivate," Victory Lap, "Rap N***as," and "Last Time That I Checce'd," among others. Clearly, Nip's vision came to manifest exactly as expected -- it's a shame he isn't around to see it come to fruition. Rest in peace, Nip.