Aside from hip-hop, Nipsey Hussle was well known for the time and effort he spent in doing good for his community, and he was widely recognized as a positive force for many in Los Angeles. The BET Awards were last night, and during the ceremony, Hussle was deservedly honored with this year’s Humanitarian Award.
In a prepared video, Snoop Dogg, political figures, and others spoke about all the good he had done and who he was as a person, and then Hussle’s family accepted the award on his behalf. Hussle’s grandmother said, “I was so amazed at how much was out in the world for him. I love him with all my heart and soul. Thank you so much world for loving him too.” His mother added, “Even though our bodies die, our spirits live. We lift out of this vessel and we continue on.” Lauren London also said simply, “The marathon continues again.”
When it was announced earlier this month that Hussle would be receiving the award, Connie Orlando, BET’s Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, said, “As a prolific artist and leader, Nipsey Hussle was zealous about driving change for the betterment of his community, empowering and employing those in need and being an influential and highly respected leader. His passing was a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry and to the culture. We will continue to remember his advocacy and be inspired by the groundwork he set forth and his dire commitment to social change. We are forever grateful, humbled and honored to have experienced his presence and we are invested in doing our part to ensure that the marathon will indeed continue. It is an immense honor for us to recognize him with this year’s Humanitarian Award.”
Watch clips from the award presentation above. John Legend and DJ Khaled also paid tribute to Hussle with a performance of “Higher,” so watch that below.
Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. .
