YG pays tribute to slain friend, fellow Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle at Coachella
Rapper YG paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival during his performance Sunday, dedicating his set to his slain friend and fellow South Los Angeles artist.
.@YG started off his set at #Coachella with a tribute to #NipseyHussle 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/g7hdGm6DZB
— Big Boy (@BigBoy) April 15, 2019
YG, who collaborated with the Grammy-nominated rapper before Hussle was shot and killed outside his clothing store in South Los Angeles on March 31, opened his Coachella set with a video tribute that featured footage of last week's massive funeral procession for the slain musician. He also wore a vest emblazoned with an image of Hussle, a community activist and fixture in South Los Angeles.
"Y'all know like everybody else, we just lost one of our greats, we just lost one of our homies, our big brothers," the rapper told the crowd in Indio, California. "...A motherf---- legend, black mother--- Jesus."
YG said Sunday the two had talked about performing at Coachella. His set also featured an artistic animation of Hussle in heaven with slain LA rapper Tupac Shakur.
"We went thru so much sh-- together tryna make it out of LA with this rap s--, " YG said on Instagram after Hussle's death. "But we always got thru it then talked about it & after we talked….we laughed!"
Police have arrested 29-year-old Eric Holder and charged him with murder in Hussle's death. The LAPD said Hussle's shooting apparently stemmed from a personal dispute.
The 33-year-old Hussle had worked to provide educational opportunities for youth, hoping to bridge the gap between disadvantaged kids and Silicon Valley. He had also planned to meet with the Los Angeles Police Department to discuss fighting gang violence in the city.
Hussle's death was met with an outpouring of grief and tributes at a "Celebration of Life" last week, where YG also spoke.
The tributes continued over the weekend at Coachella from other artists including Childish Gambino, Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa and Ariana Grande.
Many also paid tribute to Mac Miller, including Grande, who had dated the Pittsburgh rapper before he died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose last year. He was 26.