The family of slain rapper Nipsey Hussle is continuing his community work. And in that end, the family has announced the launch of Neighborhood Nip Foundation. The new organization has already gotten some major support.
“[Nipsey] was very adamant about being purposeful and intentional and giving back and doing that right where he came from,” said music executive Steve “Steve-O” Carless, one of Hussle’s partners in the Marathon Agency marketing and management film. “For us, it’s an honor to know we are going to be able to carry that vision on in the future, and we want to make sure it has the fortitude that he had. We’re really excited about it, and this is just the first step.”
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According to Hussle’s brother, Samiel Asghedom, 37, a priority for the foundation “will be to bring opportunity and open doors for youths hoping to break into music. The family is still formulating the foundation’s programming and initiatives,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
“We used to talk a lot about [what the Watts Towers program] meant to him. A push, a little help can go a long way, and that’s what this foundation will 100% be about,” Asghedom told The Times. “The foundation will be aligned with everything Nip believed in and what helped him.”
Atlantic Records, which tamed up with the rapper’s All Money In imprint to release his Grammy-nominated debut album “Victory Lap” in 2018, donated six figures to the new foundation.
Atlantic Records chairman and CEO Craig Kallman and chairman and COO Julie Greenwald said in a statement to the LA Times, “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 will also contribute to the foundation. It will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of a collaborative collection with Hussle’s Marathon Clothing brand. The line will go on sale Sept. 5.
“Nipsey always put his community first, and we know he wouldn’t want it any other way,” Puma said in a statement.
The Neighborhood Nip Foundation announcement came a week after the family quietly celebrated what would have been Hussle’s 34th birthday, Vibe reported.
