Nipsey Hussle receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
More than three years after he was fatally shot outside of his clothing store on Crenshaw Boulevard, rapper Nipsey Hussle posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The ceremony, planned for the late-rapper's 37th birthday, began at 11:30 a.m. on Hollywood Boulevard outside of Amoeba Music. Hussle's sister, Samantha Smith, and longtime girlfriend and actress Lauren London spoke at the ceremony. The star, which is the 2,729th on the Walk of Fame, was accepted by his grandmother, Margaret Boutte.
"I speak for the entire City of LA when I say that we've always known Hussle was destined for greatness," London said while speaking to the crowd. "This moment only amplifies that for us."
"You are victorious, legendary, one-of-one. Life is what you make it, and you made a real movement," Smith said.
With hundreds of fans gathered at the ceremony, officials closed a portion of Hollywood Boulevard between Gower Street and Argyle Avenue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was 33 at the time of his shooting. He was a Grammy-nominated artist, who released one studio album and several mixtapes. He was awarded a pair of posthumous Grammy Awards in 2020.
He is well known for transcending his time as a gang member in South Los Angeles during his youth, in turn using his platform and talent to give back to the community that raised him.
A letter from former President Barack Obama, read at Hussle's memorial service in 2019, said in part: "While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep going."
Recently, Eric Holder Jr., the gunman responsible for fatally shooting Hussle and wounding two others, was convicted of first-degree murder and awaits sentencing.
