The late Nipsey Hussle was honored on what would have been his 37th birthday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A large crowd — including Big Boy, Roddy Ricch, YG, and Russell Westbrook — showed up for the ceremony Monday, marking the occasion by collectively singing “Happy Birthday” for the South Los Angeles rapper. Several members of Hussle’s family and his longtime girlfriend, Lauren London, gave speeches at the event. “I think I speak for the entire city of L.A. when I say that we’ve always known Hussle was destined for greatness,” London said. “This moment only amplifies that for us. Nip would’ve been honored by this moment.” She added that she thought her late partner would want people to remember that change requires “acknowledging the reality you were born into and the power you have to change that reality for the better.”
Just before Hussle’s grandmother accepted his Hollywood Walk of Fame star on behalf of the family, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce declared that August 15 would be recognized as Nipsey Hussle Day in Hollywood. Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, spearheaded several humanitarian efforts to tackle poverty and crime in the community where he himself was once a gang member. “Nip the Great, look at who you are, look at what you did,” his sister, Samantha Smith, said in her remembrance. “I’m in awe but I’m not surprised. You’ve been a star in my eyes, the family’s eyes, God’s eyes, far before the accolades caught up.”
Hussle was shot and killed in 2019 by Eric Holder, who was found guilty of first-degree murder last month. Hussle’s father, Dawit Asghedom, said the tragic murder could act to bring people together. “Ermias may be dead, but that idea of faith must endure,” he said at the Walk of Fame ceremony. “That is the challenge of my family and Nipsey’s fans, to keep his legacy going forever.”
