The influence and narrative of Hip Hop is at an all-time high where albums like Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap are symbolic milestones of promoting the expansion of black wealth.
It has taken Los Angeles MC, Nipsey Hussle, more than six years to release his much-admired debut, Victory Lap. Before the release of his album, Nipsey was widely known for notoriously selling copies of his Crenshaw mixtape for $100 each, eventually capturing Jay-Z’s endorsement and buying a hundred copies of the tape. Some may have thought this was arrogant back in 2013 but truly instead it was a sign of Nipsey understanding his worth and how a business model can be effective through exclusivity. In the end, Nipsey sold a 1,000 copies, making $100,000 in total.
Nipsey being heavy in the mixtape circuit for the last ten years has delivered his most mature body of work to date. The level of intellect Nipsey Hussle conveys on Victory Lap is refreshing to the current state of Hip Hop. Victory Lap discusses Black capitalism in songs like “Hussle & Motivate,” gang culture in “Blue Laces 2,” and the importance of family ancestry in “Dedication” with some assistance from fellow West Coast sovereign, Kendrick Lamar.
In the record “Dedication,” Nipsey builds subtle observations for his audience to form as larger ideas in order to reflect on:
“This ain’t entertainment, it’s for niggas on the slave ship/
These songs just the spirituals I swam against them waves wit/
Ended up on shore to their amazement/
I hope the example I set’s not contagious/
Lock us behind gates but can’t tame us/
Used to be stay safe, now it’s stay dangerous/
‘Cause ain’t no point in playin’ defense nigga/
That’s why I dove off the deep end nigga, without a life jacket/
Couple mil, tour the world, now my life crackin’/
Cook the books, bring it back so it’s no taxes”
Nipsey Hussle calls for more black ownership and vertical integration within business, specifically amongst technology. Inside tech companies people of color are under-represented and a lot of the times boxed out. Just 2% of African Americans make up the Google’s workforce located in Silicon Valley.
Nipsey Hussle wishes to grant access to information that is out of reach for people of color who choose to actively pursue the knowledge. The MC, plans to do so through his recent venture with Vector90, an inner city based co-working community in South Los Angeles, focused on developing under-represented entrepreneurs.
As a young Black economist musician, Nipsey Hussle has grown into a business savvy entrepreneur who leads and stands by the people. Nipsey’s reveal of honesty, traumatic stories, and triumph is the motivational blueprint where you’ll go further with his wisdom oppose to without it. Despite the title, Victory Lap, this is not only the start of something meaningful for Nipsey’s legacy but for the culture of Hip Hop and the empowerment of black people living in America.
ALL MONEY IN.
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