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I didnt always understand Nipsey Hussles moves.
He made gambles that seemed outrageous.
In 2013, he sold 1,000 copies ofCrenshawfor $100 apiece, including 100 to a notably impressed Jay-Z.
Nip also thought outside of the box as a philanthropist and entrepreneur.
The youth need guidance, always.
Sometimes you have to get these gems from a complicated figure like Nip.
You could tell that he knew this was his calling.
Every time a figure like him passes, it feels likethe stars of this generation are blinking out.
Its a loss for fans, friends, family, and the culture at large.
Even so, there was still room for improvement.
He was also tangling with questionable thought processes.
At times, he entertained conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, sexism, and homophobia.
Hussle was far from perfect, but he was trying.
His good ideas dont make his bad ideas less unacceptable.
His bad ideas dont make his death any less tragic.
Gun violence is random and brutal.
It only begets more of itself.
In interviews and in music, Nipsey Hussle was candid about these realities.
He hated to see artists claiming gang affiliations and using the language too loosely.
Days like these raise a chill.
On days like these, the game feels rigged.
The question of what they couldve accomplished if one day went a little better never settles.
The feeling that calamity always wins in spite of our plans to improve ourselves is hard to shake.
Its tough to know what the way forward is but easy to say what it isnt.
Crackpot theories and misinformation arent it.
We have the rest of the year ahead of us to find reasons to fight.
Lets not make black death a set piece for that.
Lets talk about how to break cycles and get free.
