Despite coming from different parts of Los Angeles County — and, let’s face it, different affiliations within the area’s longstanding gang culture — Compton rapper the Game and Crenshaw rapper Nipsey Hussle shared a close friendship throughout their respective careers until Nipsey’s unfortunate death in March 2019. In the latest episode of Fresh Pair, hosts Just Blaze and Katty Customs ask Game about his favorite memory of the late (segment starts at 27:49), great Hussle. His answer is deeply affecting and sort of heartbreaking, as he recalls the last conversation he had with Nipsey, which incidentally touched on the dangers of sticking too close to their shared roots.
“I was just telling him that…’You don’t have to be on Crenshaw and Slauson all the time,” Game says, referring to the location of Nipsey’s Marathon Clothing store, where the rapper was gunned down while offering some new clothes to an acquaintance who recently got out of jail. “I made this reference to Louis Vuitton,” Game continues, “When you go buy your girl a Louis Vuitton bag, the n**** that owns Louis Vuitton is not behind the register handing you the product. Once you build an empire, you can relax a little bit. It’s cool to check in, but it’s dangerous to be that accessible.”
Unfortunately, Game’s words proved to be prophetic. However, the sad circumstances also underlined Nip’s commitment to giving back to the community. While Game takes care to note that it’s “not about turning your back on the hood,” it’s clear that Hussle wanted to remain available to anyone who needed him.
