Hollywood Boulevard was closed between Gower Street and Argyle Avenue today to accommodate the expected large crowd for the unveiling of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star honoring slain rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The ceremony will be at 11:30 a.m. at 6212 Hollywood Blvd., in front of Amoeba Music. Hussle’s longtime girlfriend, actress Lauren London, andHussle’s sister, Samantha Smith, are set to speak at the ceremony. His grandmother Margaret Boutte will accept the star on behalf of Hussle’s family.
The ceremony comes on the 37th anniversary of Hussle’s birth. It will be streamed on the Walk of Fame’s website, www.walkoffame.com. The star is the 2,729th star since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the first 1,558 stars.
Hollywood Boulevard is expected remain blocked until at least 1 p.m. Born Ermias Joseph Asghedom on Aug. 15, 1985, 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 South Los Angeles strip mall that housed his The Marathon Clothing shop where he was shot and killed March 31, 2019.
After Hussle’s death, thousands of people were on hand in April 2019 for a service in his honor, with singer Stevie Wonder and rapper Snoop Dogg among those paying tribute to him.
In a letter that was read during the service, former President Barack Obama wrote, “While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep going.”
The rapper-entrepreneur was posthumously honored with two Grammy Awards in 2020 for best rap performance for “Racks in the Middle” and for best rap/sung performance for “Higher.”
Eric Holder Jr., 32, was convicted of murder in July for killing Hussle. He was also convicted of two counts each of attempted voluntary manslaughter and assault for injuring two other people. He is tentatively set to be sentenced Sept. 15.