Charlamagne tha God is honoring the legacy of Nipsey Hussle by gifting the late rapper's girlfriend Lauren London a custom pendant of Nipsey's profile designed by Greg Yuna.
Hypebeast caught up with the renowned jewelry designer and asked him about the creative motivations behind this piece. "I originally wanted to make a tribute piece regardless of being approached, but to make one with this purpose was even more fulfilling," Yuna explains. "I had to find the best picture of him that I thought would be most suitable and iconic."
The gold-cast pendant contains an impressive amount of detail, and Yuna detailed how he managed to bring the various elements together, in addition to posting an Instagram video showcasing the process. "We make a cad and spend tedious endless hours on the computer trying to get as much detail as possible in so we can print it on a state of the art 3D printing machine. Finally, we cast it in gold and laser in the tattoos and do the finishing touches including the hand-selected full cut diamond in his ear."
On the back of the pendant, Yuna incorporated an elevated paisley print, meant to symbolize Hussle's origins and what he stood for. The phrase "God will rise" also lays in the middle of the symbolic pattern. "'God will rise’ is what his name means and I think that says it all," the jeweler said.
