At 19, Nipsey Hussle took the money he earned on the streets of South L.A. and bought a ticket to his father’s homeland — a tiny country that fought a brutal war to secure its place in the world as Eritrea. The trip split his life into before and after.
Rapper Nipsey Hussle was born Ermias Asghedom. The 33-year-old was a member and hero of the close-knit Eritrean American community.
When he died last week, Eritrea’s minister of information Yemane G. Meskel, offered his condolences on Twitter. In cities from Washington D.C. to Portland, members of the Eritrean diaspora also have held candlelight vigils in the rapper’s name.Los Angeles is home to one of the largest enclaves of Eritrean immigrants in the United States, and they have watched Hussle — or Ermias, as they call him — grow from a precocious child into an influential young man.
Today, Asghedom remains a familiar face and a pillar of his local Eritrean community. He and Hussle’s mom, Angelique Smith, who is African American and traces her roots to Louisiana, gave birth to Ermias in Los Angeles in 1985. Ermias, which means “God is risen,” Smith says, is their second born after Samiel. The couple divorced in 1987.Hussle lived with his mother and, later, his grandmother. Still, Asghedom made sure Hussle and his brother were exposed to Eritrean food and culture.
“He was able to proudly say it to the world,” Yehdego said. “He held so much power and made us Eritreans feel more visible in a world where we think we are invisible.” Sallina Yehdego, right, and Harina Bereket in Culver City. Yehdego, 19, an Eritrean American from Inglewood, said, “It’s kind of disappointing that nobody knows about my country and the beauty it holds, the people and the culture and all the traditions that we have."
Mikail found herself touting Hussle’s rise to fame last year when explaining to her parents why she wanted to shift careers.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nipsey Hussle was one victim among many as South L.A. violence takes its tollAs storm after storm dumped rain on Los Angeles, the streets grew quiet. Like most everyone else, criminals retreated indoors. This spring, with the end of the historic rains, violence bloomed along with the wildflowers. The famed rapper Nipsey Hussle was just one of many casualties.
Read more »
Nipsey Hussle shooting: Woman who drove getaway car faces anger in South L.A.There are growing questions about the woman who drove the getaway car that the suspect in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle used to flee the scene of the attack.
Read more »
Rapper Nipsey Hussle killed in South L.A. shooting; 2 others woundedRapper Nipsey Hussle was killed Sunday afternoon in a shooting outside his store in South Los Angeles that left two other people wounded, law enforcement sources said.
Read more »
Deadly shooting of rapper Nipsey Hussle in South L.A. likely gang-related, source saysRapper Nipsey Hussle was shot multiple times Sunday afternoon in the Hyde Park neighborhood. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Read more »
Before his death in South L.A., Nipsey Hussle was trying to buy back his ’hood“He was investing in this part of town because he understood … if we ever wanted it to be in the condition it deserved, and for our people to be treated the way they deserved to be treated, we have to own it.”
Read more »
La muerte de Nipsey Hussle probablemente está vinculada a pandillas, dice una fuenteNipsey Hussle, un rapero nominado al Grammy, fue asesinado el domingo por la tarde a plena luz del día en las afueras de su tienda en South L.A.
Read more »
Nipsey Hussle likely knew his killer; investigators believe motive was personal, sources sayLaw enforcement sources said they believed the killer was someone in the rap star’s orbit.
Read more »
Gone Too Soon, Nipsey Hussle Pioneered Physical Music In The Digital EraIn a decade dominated by streaming, Nipsey Hussle spearheaded the sale of novelty physical music. He recognized early that fans want experiences and exclusivity that cannot be bootlegged, a philosophy that has since become the industry standard.
Read more »