Nipsey Hussle Fatally Shot in Los Angeles (UPDATE)

Nipsey Hussle was 33.

Nipsey Hussle
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Photography by Prince Williams/Wireimage

Nipsey Hussle

UPDATED 04/1/19Ā 6:58Ā p.m. ET: A "huge" manhunt to find the person who killed Nipsey Hussle is underway,Ā Los Angeles police spokeswoman Lizeth Lomeli confirmed toĀ The Hollywood Reporter. TheĀ Los Angeles County Media Examiner's office says an autopsy was completed and Nipsey's official cause of death has been ruled aĀ homicide. The L.A. County Coronerā€™s Office confirmed that the rapperĀ died of gunshot wounds to the torso and head.Ā 

UPDATED 3:15 p.m. ET: An anonymous law enforcement source tells the New York Daily News that LAPD homicide detectives are pursuing a suspectĀ known personally by Nipsey Hussle. The 33-year-old artist was fatally shot on Sunday.

The NYDN reports Nipsey's murder may end up classified as gang-related ā€œbecause Hussle had a prior gang affiliation, the source said, but it doesnā€™t appear the hit stemmed from a ā€˜rival gangā€™ as much as a personal ā€˜deal gone wrong.ā€™ā€

The article says the suspect is ā€œin [the LAPDā€™s] sightsā€ but was not in custody as of Monday morning.

See original story below.

NipseyĀ HussleĀ was fatally shotĀ today outside of his Marathon clothing store in the Hyde ParkĀ neighborhood of Los Angeles, NBC News reports. Hussle was standing outside of his store with a crowd of peopleĀ when an unknown person opened fire, killing Hussle and wounding two others. Police say that they are looking for a black male in his 20s and that the shooting appears to be gang-related.Ā The Victory Lap rapper was 33 years old.Ā 

BREAKING: Rapper Nipsey Hussle has been pronounced dead at the hospital after being shot outside his clothing company in south Los Angeles, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the incident tell @NBCNews. https://t.co/IY2Np29zFm - @anblanx

— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 1, 2019

Throughout his career, Hussle was praised for his rapping ability as well as his business savvy. While his obvious connection to West Coast cruising music and his laid-back delivery were more than enough to keep critics and Best Coasters alike happy, HussleĀ really shined in his ability to think up creative new ways to make money. The rapper famously released a mixtape with the hefty price tag of $100 a copy, earning him headlines, shout-outs from industry titans and the attention of his eventual partner Lauren London.Ā 

HussleĀ used his business acumen and the proceeds from his rap careerĀ to launch his successful clothing store. He recently purchased the plaza where his flagship store sits with an eye toward revitalizing the neighborhood he grew up in.Ā HussleĀ had hoped to tear the plaza down and replace it with a new apartment building that boasted retail ā€”his own store, among the optionsā€” on the ground floor. The project was meant to coincide with a new light rail connection between Crenshaw and LAX.

Hussle'sĀ reach extended well beyond his own neighborhood. In the wake of Hussle's passing, it became clear how many corners of the rap communityĀ he had touched, as many of his contemporaries took to social media to mourn the loss of the rapper.Ā 

REST IN PEACE NIPSEY HUSSLE

— vince (@vincestaples) April 1, 2019

MY HEART GOES OUT TO NIP N HIS FAM MAN , THIS MAN WAS ON THE RIGHT PATH AND DOING BETTER IN LIFE , N NIGGAS DO THIS EVIL SHIT, THIS GAME IS SO SHADY ITS DISGUSTING, RIP TO ONE OF THE ONLY REAL ONES LEFT @NipseyHussle šŸ™šŸ½ SLEEP IN PEACE KING

— LORD FLACKO JODYE II (@asvpxrocky) April 1, 2019

RIP Nipsey Hussle, a true Los Angeles legend

— adam22 (@adam22) April 1, 2019

He's survived by his two children andĀ London, with whom he just had a child with in 2016.

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