6 Lessons from Nipsey Hussle

I could take sixty lessons from this dude. Today I just wanted to reflect on six lessons I've learned from recently discovering Nipsey Hussle after his untimely death.

All in less than a thousand words.

Embrace Who You Are

Nipsey stayed in his community until the day that he died, building his empire on the block he was selling drugs from as a teenager.

He didn't try to escape as soon as he could, he embraced what he had with open arms and looked for ways to make it better.

Over the years he was in the spotlight, you can see his evolution.

He didn't lost sight of who he was, and what he was sent here to do.

We often look at all the positives of people after they're gone, and it's true that he stuck by his home town and tried to make it a better place.

But he was still a real person.

Nipsey was in the community when someone tried to film him in a parking lot. He went into their car, took their phone and started filming them.

They asked 'But Nipsey, I thought you was a cool guy?'

You thought wrong bro, you don't put no camera in no grown man's face before asking

"But you're a celebrity"

I'm a 60's Crip first. Learn about that bro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQN92zLDrFo

Create, don’t compete

In one of his interviews, Nipsey was asked about his creative process.

He spoke closely about hearing the intent in the lyrics. His intent for his debut album was to make timeless music, nothing else.

Going on to say that he has made music in the past with intentions to sell and double-up on his tours, he felt he can now hear that intention in the music when he listens back.

What I know about life, is you're going to hurt yourself.

Especially as a creative.

Creativity and competition are opposites.

They work against each other - creatively.

You have to draw from a blank canvass, to draw from your pool of experience for it to have 'that thing.'

You can compete and make something that is like, technically good.

It's like a cloned human being.

They might have two legs, but..

It's not the same as a baby that was born from a mama and daddy and there was some love made, that's a different formula.

I think that, to create, is a natural labour.

To copy, or compare, or compete - creatively - you confuse yourself.

You miss all the dope stuff, that only you can do.

Only Nip can say certain lines.

It's a song that only I can write. Because it's only true to me.

And it's true to everyone in the world if it's true, because we all got the same general truths.

But the specifics of it, there the songs I need to write - and them is the ones I will succeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he9WMBTAOmA

Master two worlds

Between 2009 and 2019, Nipsey and his team mastered the two worlds: music and business.

From their flapship 'Proud to Pay' campaign (selling mixtape for $100 each) to the clothing line, they set out to be come vertically integrated from the beginning.

Another slogan 'Fuck the Middle Man' illustrates the point well enough, with the idea being creating music that goes from musician to listener.

In 2017, he opened the world's first Smart Store, integrating technology into his clothing and within the store itself.

They worked from 2009 to 2018 to build a situation whereby they could partner with a major record label, releasing over ten mixtapes before his vision came true and he released his debut album 'Victory Lap' in a partnership with his independent music label 'All Money In.'

During that time, the evolution of his character is evident if you are to watch his early interviews.

There are two many interviews where he drops gems on marketing, branding and building his vertically-integrated empire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqY-MB0d7u8

Give it everything you have

Not only speaking to what he has accomplished, but his mindset, Nipsey gave it all he had while he was here and wasn't thinking about nothing else.

In his early interviews he was speaking about longevity and building a brand for the long-term.

Then later on, he was asked 'When will you take a break, now Victory Lap has done so well?'

This whole thing, we look at life like it's about what you can get from life.

I read something that was like, that's not what it is.

You are always going to be unfulfilled if you look at like life that.

It's about knowing you're going to leave one day.

And you know, when you leave... the only way you will feel fulfilled if you gave it all you had.

And you emptied yourself here.

And you left it all here, because it's temporary.

And you got a moment, you know?

...... I wanna be in this thing until I am out of energy, until I don't have nothing left to contribute.

Last year I achieved my goal and simply stopped working on myself and my abilities, only to become complacent and eventually lose everything.

I think it’s a big attribute of his success, the fact he continued to set bigger goals for himself really hit home with me, and it’s something I’m carrying forward into my own life.

I want to write more blogs.

Instead of asking if I can write one per week, I ask myself “How can I write one per day?”

What is your energy, what do you have to contribute, and how can you act today that brings you closer to your destiny and what you are you here to do?

Humility goes a long way

Not in one interview did I ever see him bad-mouth anyone.

This is one of the reasons I truly appreciate his character.

Even when he was coerced into conversations about controversial topics, he would set the tone of the interview and not take the bait.

You can also tell by the way he carries himself that he had a high degree of humility about him - always willing to give credit to others or to listen to others before speaking.

Humility changes your mindset, but also how you are perceived.

Nobody likes arrogance.

And your own arrogance will always be your biggest downfall.

Acknowledging your team and the people around you that will be an inevitable part of your success is invaluable.

You cannot do anything by yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piNuMHJmd9I

You have to look deeper to feel the true intent

He wasn’t on my radar before he died.

I had heard a couple of his big hits, but I had never really given him a second glance.

Being what I considered a hip-hop fan, it struck me by surprise when I dug into his music and found a creative, entrepreneurial genius.

Having listened to everything I can find on the internet on the guy over the last three months, as I’m sure many have after his passing.

I’s easy to see why he was so successfully – and independently.

He set out his vision.

He became wise.

His work ethic was inspiring.

If you heard one of his lead singles from his album, you might be inclined to categorise him and put him in a box.

It wasn’t until you see his flagship smart store and shared office space for the youth of his area that you can see the true intent behind his actions.

Some of the activities he was supporting in the local area were unbelievable, from STEM education centres and office space for entrepreneurs to refurbishing local schools and buying the local block and employing people (many of them ex-felons) across many businesses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXQ_yu5l8y4

The Marathon Continues

Bonus lesson: Life is a marathon.

When you think about it, there is no other way to look at life: it's a marathon.

This last point is a tribute to the young artist, who was clearly a creative genius and has inspired me to take a good look at myself in the mirror and ask:

"What do I want out of life?"

And take action to go get it.