Nipsey Hussle Is Purely Focused On Victory

Nipsey Hussle is obtaining success through strategic movement.

We’re nearing two years since the release of Nipsey’s Mailbox Money mixtape and rounding three years since the release of his Crenshaw mixtape. However, it’s been a “marathon” of strategic planning for the African-American/Eritrean rapper. On the shallow end of the spectrum, there’s music; the indispensable component┬áof Nipsey Hussle’s hustle, but let’s not forget the finance-grounded side of┬áErmis┬áAsghedom and a brief look into how he operates.

The business standpoint of the 30-year-old rapper [turning 31 on August 15] has been present in his music since the beginning of his days. As of late, there’s a new focus that is highly noticeable in releases like “Ocean Views” and “I Don’t Stress.” Nipsey imparts life lessons, past struggles, as well as motivational diction. His clear-cut direction is leading him to victory, doing it all independently.

In a 2006 interview, Nipsey speaks about investing his money and having liability. Ten years later, the hustle continues.

I’ve been on my grind I ain’t usually home, focused on not using phones Lately I’ve been using songs to give my points across While n*ggas ’round me lose it all, but that’s your point to toss I guess I always knew the ball And as the world revolves I’m cracking ’cause I do my job

Mike & Keys (Michael Ray Cox, Jr and  John Groover Jr) have been very instrumental behind the comings of Nispey. Instrumental in the sense of production is what this duo (formally known as The Futuristiks) brings to the table.

Nipsey challenged himself to build a platform that didn’t compromise his vision with the demands of the mainstream world,┬áproceeded to independently run with the plan to release his debut album Victory Lap. Asghedom [Nipsey] has been running this marathon solo since a fallout with Epic Records in late 2010. “I’m Netflix, [the labels] are Blockbusters,” Nipsey said in a 2013 documentary. Standing up and securing the control over his own royalties and ownership is vital to his happiness; it goes without him saying. “F**k the check, a n***a gonna get it on his own.”

Victory Lap is an album that was revealed to the world back in 2013. Originally, the album was supposed to be presented in mixtape form but Nipsey changed it. Instead, Nipsey made history with his Crenshaw┬ámixtape┬áin 2013. Limited (100) first edition copies of the mixtape were sold for $100 each. Digitally released through mixtape sites, the physical copies came with incentives that were offered through Nips’ All In record label. JAY Z purchased 100 copies, allowing Nipsey to cash out┬áwith $10,000.┬áHe followed suit with the release of 2014’s Mailbox Money, selling each copy for $100 each.

One of Nipsey’s mentors in the game Big Bob always “pointed to literature” that Nipsey should “indulge in.” This one book titled “Contagious” by Jonah Berger caught Nipsey’s eye, grasping a concept from chapter two of the book. In that chapter, a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant owner set the price of his cheesesteak at $100. “A restaurant in Philly decided they wanted to make the first $100 cheesesteak. It offended a lot of people, because normally they’ll cost four dollars… By the fact that he set the price at $100, more than anything, it started conversation,” Nipsey told Sway in The Morning.

Prior to this idea, Nipsey read another book that helped lay the foundation for how he would move with his branding .He also read a book titled The Immutable Laws of Marketing. “I read a lot though man,” Nipsey once told HipHopDX. “I’m like a book addict at times.” Knowledge is power and Nipsey follows what he reads to the fullest. It is these actions that make him one of rap’s most dominant entrepreneurs. He grabs the gleam┬áof mainstream without forcefully sitting under the mainstream light; he’s figured out the system that they don’t want artists to figure out.

It’s rare that an artist comes into the music industry and doesn’t let his personal life interfere with his career. Despite dating Lauren London, Nipsey has managed to stay out of the unfavorable light that Hollywood can sometimes overpower. Instead, Slauson Avenue is mentioned with Nipsey’s name over any other location in the world. By a long shot, this is no easy task for a man of his caliber. Not only is this grind about himself, he also has a daughter by the name of Emani Asghedom. At this point in his career, victory is to be seen from the marathon running. From his Marathon Clothing to running his music rights to having unique uniforms for Fatburger employees in Crenshaw, having full control over situations is a fulfilling journey and Nipsey has the endurance to do so.

Victory symbolically┬áis┬ámore than a financial gain; Nip did things his own way. Periods of struggle never caused Nipsey to fold under pressure. Instead, he went harder with attentiveness. Long distance and persistence has led Nipsey through a trying period of time, one that he’s made it out of in order to set his full focus on victory. A fan of his music or not, his “hussle” should be respected.

Plenty times IÔÇÖve felt like this the end now, n***a But I catch my 2nd wind around the 10th round, n***a Only God knows to where it went down, n***a But if you see us up thatÔÇÖs cause we been down, n***a

Nipsey Hussle Is Purely Focused On Victory : The Source