When I heard Nipsey was murdered, I felt numb. This morning the imaginary levees that I had put in place to keep my emotions at bay; broke. Over the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about how hard it is to be a fan of a ‘real’ rap artist. Knowing the thing that draws me to them (their lifestyle a blurry reflection of my life and the people around me) may be the same reasons I end up mourning them.
It has been 22 years since Biggie was murdered and over that period the rap industry and more importantly our culture has lost, legends, artists on the rise, and hopefuls to gun violence. People who took from their communities, but when the time came for them to give back, they did not hesitate. I think about how 2Pac’s life was taken, and how in death his positive messages spread and immortalized him as a revolutionary but I also think about the impact someone like him could have made on a broader cultural scale had he survived his 20’s. Much like 2Pac, Nip was unabashedly pro-black and pro-LA. He believed that his community was worth uplifting even when others didn’t. He was a man OF the people, not just someone who would put his money where his mouth was, but physically there. I don’t think you can underestimate the influence someone like Nipsey commanded just by simply being present. To some a grand gesture, to him, just another Sunday.
So, this morning as I scrolled through my Twitter feed, I stopped to read some of the condolences sent from his peers, and fans; but what caused my flood of emotions was watching him speak on his life, and what he expects from it. He was someone who believed in leaving a mark, to do enough of the right thing that when your time comes you could be content with what you’ve left behind for others. That’s who was taken away from us, and that’s why this hurts so much. Slauson Ave., California is exactly 4,582.7 km away from where I sit writing this, but this loss feels so much closer to home.
R.I.P. Nipsey
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