Stop Sleepin: Nipsey Hussle

Hustle pays off, and few people know that as well as Ermias Ashgedom, aka Nipsey Hussle.

Nipsey’s first experience with professional music came in the 6th grade. He started working in a nearby studio, learning both the creative and technical side of things.

Instead of staying focused on music, however, Nipsey got involved with the Rolling Sixties Crips and started to indulge in the street life, eventually owning his own clothing store and flaunting a number of expensive chains.

Nipsey knew his real passion laid in creating music, and driven by this passion, he decided to sell his jewelry and car to raise enough money to own a recording studio.  With the studio, Nipsey was able to focus on perfecting his craft and leave the street hustling behind.  Unfortunately, Nipsey lost everything he had in the studio during a November 17, 2006 police raid, and was forced to start from scratch.

All these experiences taught Nipsey how to sacrifice and grind to achieve his goals.  His motto of “All Money In, No Money Out,” stresses the labor, regardless of the fruits of one’s labor.  This hustle has since brought Nipsey’s music to the public eye.

Check out Nipsey’s video for “Hussle in the House,” where he goes in over a sick Kriss Kross sample.

“Hussle In The House” is the lead single off of the Bullets Aint Got No Name Vol. 2 mixtape.  This mixtape is part of a three part series, also consisting of Bullets Aint Got No Name Vol. 1, and Bullets Aint Got No Name Vol. 3, where Nipsey displays his rapping skills.

These mixtapes also have Nipsey spitting lines about his previous lifestyle, for example:

“Look I came from nothin,
So did every other rapper,
Save the speculation,
Real bangga gun clapper,
Silence,
Hit the opposition with the Mack,
I’ll turn em into candles on the curb,
Over blood splats.”

Another track that has Nipsey Hussle rhyming about the tough street life is “Strapped.”

Nipsey gets a lot of comparisons to fellow West Coast emcee and Crip member, Snoop Dog, and if you didn’t see the comparison before, those videos should have made it blatantly obvious!

Nipsey slows down the track and speaks about some serious matters on “The Hussle Way.”

The first lines of the track have Nipsey speaking about death.

“Do I love it, do I lust it,
Struggle of a hustler,
Life of a bangga,
And death is no stranger,
I know em like it’s kin to me,
Took a few friends from me,
It’ll all make sense one day eventually, I guess so,
Granny said it happened and it’s meant to be just let go,
But I can’t, this shit keep itchin me like,
Them niggas outta line how they came through,
Shot him in his face point blank, left his brains blew.”

The remaining verses on “The Hustle Way” have Nipsey touching on his life before rap and how things are improving.

Stepping away from his mixtape records, we see Nipsey jumping on a few features here and there to help expand his fan base and increase his buzz.  None of these feature spots have been more impressive than “Killer,” with Drake.



Nipsey stole the show from Drake on that track, and spit one of the best verses I have heard any emerging emcee spit this year.  Here is the verse in its entirety:

“Look,
Listen,
Before rap my last name was my lifestyle,
And when I visualize success it look like right now,
What was once grey skies is now white clouds,
And I did it with the ones ya’ll said was not the right crowd,
Follow my steps and you see what I’m bout,
I keep my money coming in and never going out,
From Chuck Taylors on the pavement with the blammers out,
Then I hit the league straight on the street with no talent scout,
And now my face bring the cameras out,
That young nigga these industry bitches yap about,
You know the one the cops bump you up and ask about,
All because I took my wildest dreams and then mapped ‘em out,
I go for mine like its overtime,
Me and my niggas had to struggle so we over-shine
Been fuck bitches I be on my grind,
Cause on a mission your worst enemy is idle time,
Hussle.”

Nipsey Hussle didn’t waste a single word, telling us all about his life, struggles, beliefs, and recent success on that verse, amazing!

With his debut album, South Central State of Mind, Nipsey aims to give a sincere update on what’s currently happening in the streets of LA.  This mission has earned Nipsey the co-sign from LA greats, The Game and Snoop Dog.

Nipsey’s work ethic and talent are enough to bring him nationwide attention, and when South Central State of Mind drops, he will quickly become a household name.