In honor of the late rapper, entrepreneur and West Coast legend, Nipsey Hussle's life, Charlamagne Tha God has gifted Hussle's longtime girlfriend, Lauren London, a gold pendant of his face.
The piece was done by expert Jeweler, Greg Yuna, a.k.a Mr. Flawless, who has designed pieces for celebrity faces like Drake, Victor Cruz, and most recently, Joey Bada$$. Although Yuna can only recall one face-to-face encounter with Nipsey Hussle, he says he has the “utmost respect” for the rapper, recalling him as a “phenomenal artist” whose musical legacy will thrive forever. “Even from one interaction you can tell he was a beautiful impression,” the designer said.
Image by Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images
“I originally wanted to make a tribute piece regardless of being approached, but to make one with this purpose was even more fulfilling,” Yuna explains as his motivations behind the piece. He also offers a step-by-step of his creative process for the piece: “I had to find the best picture of him that I thought would be most suitable and iconic,” he explains, before going on to say, “then we make a cad and spend tedious endless hours on the computer trying to get as much detail as possible in so we can print it on a state of the art 3D printing machine. Finally, we cast it in gold and laser in the tattoos and do the finishing touches including the hand-selected full cut diamond in his ear.”
“The paisley on the back was a symbolic depiction of his roots and a lot of what he represented,” Yuna adds, conveying the message intended to be shared by his piece. “‘God will rise’ is what his name means and I think that says it all,” he concludes.
You can check out a video of the piece being created, as well as the final outcome, on Yuna's Instagram below.