The Short Answer
Nipsey Hussle was 33 when he died on March 31, 2019. Born Ermias Joseph Asghedom on August 15, 1985, in Los Angeles, he emerged from the West Coast mixtape scene in the mid-2000s - Slauson Boy Volume 1, the Bullets Ain't Got No Name series, The Marathon - and became famous for selling his Crenshaw mixtape at $100 a copy (Jay-Z bought 100). His debut album Victory Lap (2018) earned a Grammy nomination. He shared his life with actress Lauren London from 2013 until his death; their son Kross was born in 2016. His daughter Emani is from a previous relationship.
Early Life and Background
Ermias Joseph Asghedom was born on August 15, 1985, in Los Angeles, to an Eritrean father and an African-American mother, and raised in the Crenshaw district. He ran with the Rollin' 60s Crips as a youth before channeling his energy into music, self-releasing Slauson Boy Volume 1 and signing with Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.
His Bullets Ain't Got No Name series, The Marathon, and Crenshaw built his legend - the $100 Crenshaw pricing was a statement about valuing art, validated when Jay-Z bought 100 copies. After years of delays, his debut studio album Victory Lap arrived in 2018: a critical triumph that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Best Rap Album Grammy nomination. Posthumous Grammys followed for "Racks in the Middle" and "Higher."
Beyond music, Nipsey was an entrepreneur and activist: the Marathon Clothing store, investments in Crenshaw real estate, STEM programs for neighborhood kids, and a vision of economic empowerment he called "buying back the block." On March 31, 2019, he was shot outside his own store. He was 33.
Ermias's Crenshaw formation: born to Dawit Asghedom, an Eritrean immigrant, and Angelique Smith, an African-American mother, he grew up between cultures - Eritrean heritage, LA streets. He ran with the Rollin' 60s as a teen, dropped out of school, and found music through self-released mixtapes: Slauson Boy Volume 1 announced a voice - measured, philosophical, street-wise beyond his years. The Cinematic/Epic deal gave him machinery; the Bullets Ain't Got No Name series, The Marathon, and Crenshaw gave him legend. The $100 Crenshaw (2013) - Jay-Z's 100-copy purchase - was the manifesto: value your art, own your masters, build your block.
Career Highlights
Nipsey Hussle's career was independence as ideology. He turned down major-label shortcuts, built his All Money In imprint, and proved artists could thrive on their own terms - the $100 mixtape wasn't a gimmick but a business philosophy. Victory Lap was the culmination: 16 tracks of motivational street philosophy that critics hailed as a classic.
His business portfolio - Marathon Clothing's smart-store technology, the Vector 90 coworking space, Crenshaw property - made him a model of the rapper-as-community-developer. After his death, his memorial at the Staples Center drew 21,000 mourners, and his "marathon continues" mantra became a movement. The Grammys he won posthumously felt like the industry catching up to what the streets already knew.
The business portfolio was the real innovation: All Money In (his label), Marathon Clothing (the Crenshaw smart-store), Vector 90 (the STEM coworking space), and a growing Crenshaw real-estate portfolio - "buy back the block" as economic program. Victory Lap (2018) was the artistic culmination: No. 2 Billboard 200, Best Rap Album Grammy nomination, and - posthumously - wins for "Racks in the Middle" and "Higher." His activism (Destination Crenshaw, STEM programs, Eritrean pride) made him bigger than rap: a community developer who happened to rhyme. The marathon metaphor - his life's thesis - outlived him.
Family and Children
Nipsey Hussle's family was his foundation. He was close to his brother, Samiel "Blacc Sam" Asghedom, his business partner in Marathon Clothing and the keeper of his legacy. His father, Dawit Asghedom, an Eritrean immigrant, and his mother raised Ermias and Samiel in Crenshaw with an emphasis on heritage - Nipsey visited Eritrea and spoke proudly of his roots.
He had two children: daughter Emani Asghedom, from a previous relationship with Tanisha Foster, and son Kross Ermias Asghedom, born August 31, 2016, with Lauren London. After his death, his family - led by Blacc Sam and Lauren - fought to preserve his estate and his children's inheritance, and Emani and Kross remain the living continuation of the marathon.
Marriage and Relationships
Lauren London was Nipsey Hussle's partner from 2013 until his death in 2019 - one of hip-hop's most beloved couples. The actress (ATL, The Game) and the rapper kept their relationship relatively private but openly devoted; their son Kross was born in 2016. London's eulogy at his Staples Center memorial - "I want you to know I love you... I'll always love you" - broke the world's heart.
Since his death, London has guarded his legacy and raised Kross largely out of the spotlight, occasionally sharing tributes. Their love story - six years, cut short at its height - remains one of music's great romances, defined as much by what it represented (loyalty, building together) as by its tragic end.
Family Roots and Extended Family
The Asghedom family: father Dawit, the Eritrean immigrant who gave Ermias his heritage (and his name - Ermias is Eritrean); mother Angelique; brother Samiel "Blacc Sam" Asghedom, his business partner and legacy-keeper. Nipsey's Eritrea trips - connecting with his father's homeland - were pilgrimages he documented proudly. Daughter Emani (with Tanisha Foster) and son Kross (with Lauren London, born 2016) are the heirs - of the estate, fought over in court, and of the philosophy. Blacc Sam still runs the Marathon empire; Lauren guards Kross's privacy fiercely.
Dawit Asghedom emigrated from Eritrea, giving his son both his name - Ermias - and a heritage Nipsey honored with pilgrimages to Asmara. Angelique Smith raised Ermias and his brother Samiel in South Los Angeles, working to keep them clear of the streets that claimed so many. Blacc Sam became Nipsey's business partner, co-running All Money In and the Marathon empire he still stewards. The family's Eritrean-American identity - the flag, the language, the pride - was central to Nipsey's self-image and to the community work that defined his legacy.
Legacy
Nipsey Hussle died on March 31, 2019, at age 33, shot outside the Marathon Clothing store he built to uplift his neighborhood. His killer was convicted of murder in 2022. The loss devastated hip-hop: Obama praised him in a letter, thousands marched in Crenshaw, and his memorial filled the Staples Center.
His legacy - "The Marathon Continues" - lives in his children, in the businesses his brother still runs, in the artists he inspired, and in the blueprint he left for community-rooted entrepreneurship. The question "who is Nipsey Hussle" endures because his story asks what hip-hop can be: not just escape from the neighborhood, but return to it.
Nipsey died March 31, 2019, at 33 - shot outside Marathon Clothing by Eric Holder, convicted of murder in 2022. The aftermath: a 21,000-person Staples Center memorial, Obama's tribute letter, the Crenshaw march, and "The Marathon Continues" as movement slogan. Posthumous Grammys, the Victory Lap legacy, the businesses still running - his death, like his life, was about the block. At what would be 41, his blueprint - ownership, community, marathon-not-sprint - influences every artist-entrepreneur who followed.
Why Fans Keep Asking
People ask "who is Nipsey Hussle" because his death transformed him from respected underground king to generational martyr - and new listeners keep discovering Victory Lap wondering who made it. His age, 33, his partnership with Lauren London, his $100 mixtape, his murder outside his own store: every detail compounds the legend. The answer is never just a biography; it's an introduction to a philosophy.
People ask who Nipsey was because his death made him a martyr before many knew his music - and the music, discovered after, demanded the biography. The 33 years contain multitudes: gang member to Grammy nominee, mixtape hustler to real-estate developer, all while staying on the same Crenshaw corner. The question is an invitation to the philosophy: the marathon continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old was Nipsey Hussle when he died?
He was 33 years old - died March 31, 2019.
33 - born Ermias Joseph Asghedom on August 15, 1985, in Los Angeles; died March 31, 2019.
33 - he was killed on March 31, 2019.
When was Nipsey Hussle born?
August 15, 1985, in Los Angeles.
August 15, 1985, in Los Angeles, California, to an Eritrean father and African-American mother.
August 15, 1985, in Los Angeles, California.
Who was Nipsey Hussle's partner?
Actress Lauren London (2013-2019); they share son Kross.
Actress Lauren London - together from 2013 until his death; they share son Kross.
Actress Lauren London, his partner from 2013 until his death.
Did Nipsey Hussle have kids?
Two: daughter Emani and son Kross (born 2016).
Two: daughter Emani (from a previous relationship) and son Kross Ermias Asghedom (born 2016, with Lauren London).
Two: daughter Emani and son Kross (born 2016, with Lauren London).
What is Nipsey Hussle's most famous album?
Victory Lap (2018) - Grammy-nominated, peaked at No. 2.
Victory Lap (2018) - No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Grammy-nominated for Best Rap Album.
Released in 2018, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, earned a Best Rap Album Grammy nomination, and became his defining statement.
Victory Lap (2018) - Grammy-nominated, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Why did Nipsey Hussle sell a mixtape for $100?
A statement on valuing art; Jay-Z bought 100 copies of Crenshaw.
A statement on valuing art and ownership - Jay-Z bought 100 copies at $100 each, validating the model.
To prove art's value and ownership - Jay-Z bought 100 copies, validating the model.
How did Nipsey Hussle die?
He was shot outside his Marathon Clothing store on March 31, 2019.
Shot outside his Marathon Clothing store in Crenshaw on March 31, 2019; his killer was convicted in 2022.
He was shot outside his Marathon Clothing store in Crenshaw; his killer was convicted in 2022.
Sources
- Nipsey Hussle - WikipediaBiographical overview: birth date, career summary, family details.
- People - Nipsey HussleCoverage of Hussle's life, family, and legacy.
- Biography - Nipsey HussleBiographical profile of the rapper and entrepreneur.