The Grammy-nominated rapper was killed outside his clothing store in Los Angeles. His death prompted an outpouring of grief from hip-hop giants and other celebrities. "We lost a great musician," LA officials said.
Image: picture-alliance/MediaPunch/J. Palmer
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Nipsey Hussle, a 33-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper, was shot and killed in the US city of Los Angeles, authorities said on Sunday.
Hussle, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom, was highly respected in the hip-hop community and in south Los Angeles, where he grew up.
What happened:
LA police said three men were shot outside of Marathon Clothing, a store owned by Hussle.
Hussle was killed, but the two others are in stable condition.
According to local media, the rapper was shot at close range by a man who fled the scene in a getaway car. The suspect is reportedly still at large.
Hours before his death, Hussle tweeted: "Having strong enemies is a blessing."
A crowd of fans and local residents gathered outside the police lines at the site of the shooting and laid flowers.
People laid candles and flowers outside the store where Nipsey Hussle was shotImage: picture-alliance/Newscom/D. Stewart
'This doesn't make any sense'
News of Hussle's death prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes from fellow celebrities and LA city officials on social media.
"This doesn't make any sense!" superstar Rihanna wrote on Twitter, posting pictures of Hussle with his daughter and his fiancee, actress Lauren London. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted his condolences, writing that "LA is hurt deeply each time a young life is lost to senseless gun violence."
Rapper Snoop Dogg offered his condolences to Hussle's family in videos posted on Instagram, saying "This [stuff has] got to stop, man."
Rising star
Hussle, an Eritrean-American, was born in the southern Los Angeles neighborhood of Crenshaw in 1985. In interviews, he spoke about growing up intertwined with LA gang culture and his involvement in the notorious Crips gang.
He was famous in the underground rap scene, selling his own mixtapes out of the back of his car — with rap superstar Jay-Z once buying 100 of Hussle's CDs for $100 (€89) each.
Hussle's debut album "Victory Lap" was one of the nominees for best rap album at the Grammy Awards this year. The rapper attended the award ceremony with his daughter.
Grammy Awards 2019 show more diversity
A greater number of nominees in the main four categories promise more diversity at this year's Grammy Award ceremony. US rapper Kendrick Lamar likely can't complain about too few awards — he leads the 2019 nominations.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/S. Laessoee
Top favorite
With a total of eight nominations, Kendrick Lamar leads the field for the coveted music award this year, including song of the year and album of the year. While the rapper didn't release an album of his own in 2018, he was executive producer for the soundtrack to the blockbuster film, "Black Panther." Still only 31, Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamar has already pocketed 11 Grammys.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/S. Laessoee
A close second
Rapper Drake is a close second in terms of 2019 Grammy nominations, and he might ultimately take home more awards than Lamar — even though it's claimed both turned down offers to perform at the award ceremony. Drake and Lamar stand to profit from an increase in the number of nominations per main category in the wake of criticism that the awards were to white and too male-dominated.
Image: Reuters
Americana
Brandi Carlile's folk-rock ballads tackle contemporary social issues such as opioid addiction and the migrant crisis, while her 2018 album "By the Way, I Forgive You" topped the US charts and has garnered celebrity fans like former president Barack Obama. The gay 38-year-old is the most-nominated woman at the Grammy's with six, including best Americana album and song of the year for "The Joke."
Image: Getty Images/K. Winter
Dream team
Lady Gaga scored five nominations this year, four alone for the song "Shallow" from the movie "A Star Is Born." Although she sings the song with co-star Bradley Cooper, he would not be a co-winner for song of the year because he didn't co-write the number. A possible Best Duo award would go to both Lady Gaga and Cooper, however.
Anton Zaslavski was three when his family relocated from the Soviet Union to Germany, where he grew up and learned classical music.In 2012, now known as Zedd, he moved to the US and soon became a top DJ and producer working with the likes of Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. Having won his first Grammy in 2014 for breakout album "Clarity," this year Zedd is thrice-nominated for the song "The Middle."
Image: picture-alliance/Geisler-Fotopress
Here's the beat
Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons is an honorary member of both the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras, and he holds the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal. Nominated for Best Choral performance of Rachmaninov's "The Bells" with the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of Germany's Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcaster, he just might win another Grammy this year to add to his first in 2006.
