By Eugene Holley Jr.
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Apr 07, 2021
The story of how Ermias Asghedom, Los Angeles-born, former gang-affiliated high school dropout, transformed himself into Nipsey Hussle, a pioneering rapper and visionary urban entrepreneur, is one of most triumphant, as well as deeply tragic, rap-to-riches stories in hip-hop.
Vibe magazine, tells that story—The Marathon is a series of Hussle’s mixtapes as well as a metaphor for the struggle to achieve—and is out now from Atria Books. Hussle, who rose to stardom rapping about life in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South L.A. where he grew up, was shot and killed in that same neighborhood, in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, on March 31, 2019.