Nipsey Hussle: Who was the Los Angeles rapper and why was he killed?

Rapper was assassinated in his home city of Los Angeles in 2019

The man convicted for fatally shooting Nipsey Hussle has been sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Eric R Holder Jr received his sentence on Wednesday (22 February) for killing the Grammy-award-nominated musician in 2019.

Holder was also convicted of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a firearm for the gunfire that hit two other men at the scene.

Here is a recap of Nipsey Hussle’s career and the trial for his murder.

Who was Nipsey Hussle?

Nipsey Hussle was born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom in Los Angeles in 1985.

His stage name comes from a play on the moniker of the American comedian, Nipsey Russell, and from a friend admiring his work ethic and “hustle”.

Hussle released his first mixtape independently in 2005 and released the first of his two Bullets Ain’t Got No Name mixtapes in 2008.

His popularity began to grow after this and in 2010, released the first of his The Marathon mixtapes.

Hussle was nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy in 2019 for his debut studio album, Victory Lap, but lost out to Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy.

How did he die?

On 31 March 2019, Hussle was shot at least 10 times outside of his store, Marathon Clothing, in Los Angeles.

Two other people were injured during the incident and survived.

Hussle was pronounced dead at 3.55pm. He was 33 years old and is survived by his partner, the actor Lauren London, and his two children.

The rapper sustained gunshot wounds to the head, chest, back, abdomen, left and right thighs, big toe, and right elbow, according to the autopsy report seen by The Daily Beast.

The LA Coroner’s Office confirmed that his death ultimately resulted from the gunshot wounds to his head and torso.

Developments of the murder trial

In June of last year, Holder Jr went on trial for the murder of Hussle, with prosecutors describing him as an embittered acquaintance belonging to the same street gang as Hussle.

During the 2022 trial, the jury was shown overwhelming evidence against Holder Jr, from eyewitnesses to surveillance cameras from local businesses that captured his arrival, the shooting and his departure.

The defence attorney even conceded that Holder Jr had shot Hussle, although he argued that the murder was not premeditated, instead claiming it happened in the “heat of passion”.

In the moments leading up to Hussle’s death, according to the defence attorney, Holder Jr had approached Hussle about neighbourhood rumours he had invoked, claiming Holder Jr had snitched and cooperated with law enforcement.

After the exchange, Holder Jr walked over to his car, loaded a gun and returned to confront Hussle.

On Wednesday (22 February), over six months since a Los Angeles jury found Holder Jr guilty of first-degree murder, he was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison.

He was also convicted of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a firearm for gunfire that hit two other men at the scene who survived.

The sentencing was delayed in part so that defence attorney Aaron Jansen could argue to reduce Holder’s conviction to manslaughter or second-degree murder, which Superior Court Judge H Clay Jacke rejected in December.