The Marathon Continues
Last Friday (August 23), Nipsey Hussle’s family announced the Neighborhood Nip Foundation, an initiative that seeks to provide opportunities for young creatives in music.
The late rapper, who died earlier in March after being shot and killed outside of his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles, was known for his philanthropic efforts towards his community and neighborhood. The new foundation will “be aligned with everything Nip believed in and what helped him”, Sam Asghedom, Hussle’s brother, told the Los Angeles Times.
The foundation is mainly inspired by Hussle’s own time at LA’s Watts Towers, which provided a free music program to the rapper during his youth. “We used to talk a lot about [what the Watts Towers program meant to him,” Asghedom said.“A push, a little help can go a long way, and that’s what this foundation will 100 percent be about.”
Atlantic Records, which helped to release Nip’s last album ‘Victory Lap’ last year, has already made a six-figure donation to the non-profit organization. In a joint statement, Atlantic’s chairman and CEO Craig Kallman and chairman and COO Julie Greenwald said: “Nipsey will be forever missed, but his courageous, generous spirit lives on in his incredible music and the impact he made on the community. Nip’s love for the generation coming up behind him is a big part of what’s inspiring this foundation, and we’re proud to celebrate his life by supporting his legacy.”
Puma also has plans to contribute to Hussle’s foundation. The clothing brand, which partnered with the rapper prior to his death, is donating all the proceeds from its upcoming Puma x TMC capsule collection with Hussle to the initiative. “Nipsey always put his community first and we know he wouldn’t want it any other way,” Puma announced on its official Instagram.
_ Designed in partnership with Nipsey Hussle, the PUMA x TMC Collection pays tribute to Nipsey’s vision and legacy. On September 5th, 2019 the collection will be available with 100% of the net proceeds from the sales going directly to the Neighborhood “Nip” Foundation. Nipsey always put his community first and we know he wouldn’t want it any other way.
In April, a man named Eric Holder was charged with Hussle’s murder. Holder faces life in prison after prosecutors charged him with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. According to reports, Holder reportedly had a “personal dispute with Hussle”, with witnesses claiming that the rapper had told Holder that Holder was believed to be a snitch.
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