LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles City Council adjourned its regular meeting today in memory of Nipsey Hussle after approving a motion to rename the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard in the slain rapper's honor.
The 33-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper -- whose real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom -- was fatally shot March 31 in front of The Marathon Clothing store he owned at Slauson and Crenshaw. He was honored during a Staples Center memorial on Thursday featuring a performance by Stevie Wonder and remarks from rapper Snoop Dogg, followed by a procession through South Los Angeles.
The council fast-tracked a motion that had just been introduced by Councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Curren Price and Council President Herb Wesson to officially brand the intersection where he was killed after Hussle. Fans of the performer filled the chamber and took turns for over an hour voicing support for the motion. Members Hussle's family were also present, including his father, Dawit Asghedom.
After the motion was approved, Harris-Dawson, who said he first met Hussle several years ago at a rally at Crenshaw High School against gun violence, adjourned the meeting in his memory and spoke at length about the positive things he had done for the South L.A. community.
“Nipsey was a Grammy-nominated music icon and hip hop artist. He was a West Coast hero who spent his resources and his life giving back to the community,” Harris-Dawson said.
A private burial is planned Friday afternoon at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, according to the Glendale Police Department.
Last week, 29-year-old Eric Ronald Holder Jr., an aspiring rapper and acquaintance of Hussle, pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder and possession of a firearm by a felon, along with two counts of attempted murder.
Holder is represented by attorney Christopher Darden, who was a prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Since accepting the Holder case. Darden has been on the receiving end of numerous threats, the Blast website reported.
According the Blast, Darden has been received threatening messages on social media.
“Shame on you for taking on the Nipsey Killer's case,” said one. “You doing the entire culture a disservice.”
Darden's daughter, Jenee, went on social media earlier this week to say she was “receiving vile comments and messages” since her father took the job.
“Like many of you,” she wrote, “I found out about my father's involvement in the case while scrolling through social media. I was not prepared for this backlash that has triggered bad memories from the O.J. Simpson trial.”
She added in a reference to her father that she has “no say in the cases he takes on.”
Hussle transformed himself from a South Los Angeles gang member to a rap musician and channeled his success into efforts to help others stay out of gangs. He bought shoes for students, re-paved basketball courts and provided jobs and shelter for the homeless.
Hussle helped renovate a Mid-City roller rink and redeveloped the strip mall that housed his Marathon Clothing shop where he was fatally wounded after an argument with Holder. The subject has not been disclosed.
Photo: Getty Images