The late Nipsey Hussle added much to the music industry, his community, and the world, which is why he is so sorely missed. One contribution people may not have been aware of is his songwriting for a certain fellow West Coast legend. Snoop Dogg jumped on Instagram yesterday (May 19) with a blunt in hand rocking out to his record “Ten Toes Down” off of 2016’s Coolaid. In the caption, he reveals the song was written by Hussle.
The two had a longstanding relationship, previously collaborating on “Upside Down,” “Gangstas Life,” and “Question #1.” Nipsey Hussle was fatally slain in March 2019 in front of his Marathon store. Snoop Dogg spoke at the Victory Lap rapper’s memorial at Staples Center, citing they were drawn to one another for their spirits of love.
Snoop Dogg is gearing up for the release of his next album A Death Row Summer, leading off with the single “Touch Away” featuring October London. There is no set date, but the “Gin And Juice” artist says it is “coming soon.” A Death Row Summer will be the second Death Row release of 2022 after Snoop Dogg claimed the rights to the label back in February.
Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kendrick Lamar shook the rap world on Sunday night with the release of “The Heart Part 5.” The track stood as the rapper’s first release as a lead artist in four years and it’s one that arrives as he prepares to release his long-awaited fifth album, Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers. He released a music video with the track, and in it, Kendrick uses deep fake technology to morph into several faces that included OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollet, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle. Kendrick also raps from Nipsey Hussle’s perspective on the song’s final verse.
Lauren London
In the song’s final bars, Kendrick addresses Blacc Sam, Nipsey’s older brother, directly in a string of bars. “And Sam, I be watchin’ over you / Make sure my kids watch all my interviews / Make sure you live out our dreams we produced,” Kendrick raps. “Keep that genius in your brain on the move / And to my neighborhood, let the good prevail / Make sure them babies and the leaders outta jail / Look for salvation when troubles get real / ‘Cause you can’t help the world until you help yourself.” The verse has been approved and supported by many, including Lauren London who was Nipsey’s longtime partner prior to his death.
London posted a clip of Kendrick’s “The Heart Part 5” video with the message, “Powerful art,” attached to it.
You can view London’s message in the screenshot above.
Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Four days before his fifth album Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers is set to arrive, Kendrick Lamar made a grand return on Happy Mother’s Day with “The Heart Part 5.” The song is the fifth installment in Kendrick’s “Heart” series which began in 2010 and was last updated with 2017’s “The Heart Part 5.” The song is a lengthy one as it clocks in at a little over five and a half minutes, but through it, Kendrick speaks on Black culture and how he views it nowadays. In a video attached with the song, Kendrick uses deep fake technology to morph into several faces that included OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollet, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle.
One of the biggest moments on “The Heart Part 5” comes during the song’s third verse. Here, Kendrick honors the late Nipsey Hussle and raps from his perspective to close the song. From Nipsey’s perspective, he indirectly reflects on his contributions to his community, rapping:
“Reflecting on my life and what I’ve done
Paid dues made rules change out of love
Them same views make schools change curriculums
But then change be starin’ down the barrel with a gun
Should I feel resentful I didn’t see my full potential?
Should I feel regret about the good I was into?
Everything is everything, this ain’t coincidental”
Just a few bars later, it becomes a bit clearer that Kendrick is rapping from Nipsey’s perspective:
“To my brother, to my kids, I’m in Heaven
To my mother, to my sis’, I’m in Heaven
To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven
To my friends, make sure you countin’ them blessings
To my fans, make sure you make them investments
And to the killer that sped up my demise
I forgive you, just know your soul’s in question
I seen that pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed
And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved
I completed my mission, wasn’t ready to leave
But fulfilled my days, my creator was pleased”
Finally, Kendrick mentions Blacc Sam, Nipsey’s older brother, and it’s now undeniable that this verse is told from Nipsey’s point of view.
And Sam, I be watchin’ over you
Make sure my kids watch all my interviews
Make sure you live out our dreams we produced
Keep that genius in your brain on the move
And to my neighborhood, let the good prevail
Make sure them babies and the leaders outta jail
Look for salvation when troubles get real
‘Cause you can’t help the world until you help yourself
You can listen to “The Heart Part 5” in the video above and you can read some fan reactions to the verse below.
“Though you did me gruesome I was surely relieved / I completed my mission wasn’t ready to leave / But fulfilled my days my Creator was pleased”
-Kendrick Lamar rapping from the perspective of Nipsey Hussle talking to the man who shot him. Chills.
Eric Holder, the man accused of shooting and killing Nipsey Hussle in March of 2019, will finally go on trial in June, according to HipHopDX via the Los Angeles Criminal Court website. Before that, a pretrial readiness hearing has been set for May 19 in which the defense and prosecution will determine whether or not to resolve the case without going to trial. Holder has pled not guilty to one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of felony possession of a firearm.
The trial has been delayed multiple times, with the first occurring in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in May 2021, Holder reportedly refused to leave his cell, and then, two months later, both the assigned judge and Holder’s original defense needed to be replaced (the judge due to retirement, the attorney due to death threats against his family). The most recent delay was earlier this year, after the trial was scheduled to begin in January.
Holder was arrested just two days after the shooting in the Los Angeles County suburb Bellflower. Police said that the shooting was motivated by a personal disagreement in front of Nipsey’s Marathon store on Crenshaw and Slauson. A security video allegedly shows the agitated Holder walking up and firing on Nipsey, hitting him and two bystanders multiple times. Nipsey was pronounced dead at the hospital just hours later, leaving the hip-hop world to mourn his loss just as he was finally receiving the mainstream success he’d worked for a decade to get.
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