#NPP4NIP

We want to Keep the legacy of Nipsey Hussle alive forever. We want to Continue The Marathon. Moreover,Barack Obama celebrated the music, life and legacy of Nipsey Hussle in an open letter, which Karen Civil shared on Twitter and read at a memorial service in Los Angeles Thursday. The rapper was shot and killedoutside his clothing store March 31st.

In the letter, Obama said that though he’d never met Nipsey Hussle, his daughters had introduced him to some of the rapper’s music. In the wake of his death, Obama added, he had learned more about Nipsey Hussle’s tireless efforts to lift up his community in Los Angeles.

“While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential,” Obama said. “He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep going. His choice to invest in that community rather than ignore it — to build a skills training center and a cowering space in Crenshaw; to lift up the Eritrean-American community; to set an example for young people to follow — is a legacy worthy of celebration.”

 In recent years, Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, had made it his mission to create jobs and educational opportunities in his hometown that would provide a pipeline for others to beat the odds and work towards creating generational wealth. Learning that the rapper was shot outside of one of his business ventures, the place where he also met London for the first time, only heightens the tragedy.He was part of a group who created Destination Crenshaw, a museum honoring artisticachievements by African-Americans. Hussle also invested in a coworking space in South Central Los Angeles called Vector90, which provided a place for youth to take classes in science, technology and mathematics. He was a Grammy nominee.After years of releasing mixtapes, Hussle put together his first studio album, "Victory Lap," which was released in February 2018 and earned him a nomination at this year's Grammy Awards for best rap album.Hussle grew up in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles and initially rose to prominence in the mid-2000s on the strength of his "Bullets Ain't Got No Name" series of mixtapes. He also collaborated with top artists like Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg.