Entertainment

Jay-Z dreams of Nipsey Hussle ‘visiting him’ as he performs emotional freestyle for slain rapper


Jay-Z re-opened New York City’s iconic Webster Hall last night with a moving tribute to rapper Nipsey Hussle who was killed in March.

Beyonce’s husband opened the doors again to the prestigious venue with his B-Sides 2 show that saw him bring out several guests including former long-time rival Nas.

The 49-year-old however later took a break from his set list to perform a freestyle piece paying tribute to the late artist and activist Nipsey Hussle, who died aged 33 following a Los Angeles shooting last month.

The father-of-three rapped: ‘Gentrify your own hood before these people do it / claim eminent domain and have your people move in.

‘That’s a small glimpse into what Nipsey was doing / for anybody still confused as to what he was doing.’

Later in the freestyle, he sang: ‘I be going to sleep hoping Nip’ll visit me/ That young king had a lot of young jewels he could split with me.

‘We ain’t got to leave the hood physically / but we got leave that s**t mentally / somehow, someway.’

Jay-Z admitted that he hopes Nipsey would visit him (Picture: Getty Images North America)

Nipsey, real name Ermias Asghedom, is remembered by fans for being financially literate thanks to his lyrics about growing generational wealth, his Marathon Clothing store and his passion for setting up multiple trust funds to make sure his children and family would never need financial assistance.

The Ocean Views rapper also famously secured all of his master recordings putting him in a great position amid all his multiple business investments.

Later in the show, Jay-Z brought out Cam’ron to perform Welcome to New York City, and Nas to do a run of four songs, including Nas’ The World is Yours, Jay-Z’s Dead Presidents and their collaboration Success.

Tickets on the secondary market ran as high as $1,000 (£774) for the late-night event, which had a classy-yet-casual vibe.

Nipsey died aged 33 (Picture: Rex Features)

The 2,500-person-capacity-venue was easily the rapper’s most intimate concert in years after he made a guest appearance during Beyonce’s headlining gig at Coachella in 2018.

Jay-Z paired his blue tuxedo with a large chain and headband, and his eight-piece band was similarly dressed.

He closed out the night with a smooth-jazz rendition of The Blueprint 2 cut Hovi Baby.

Nipsey is remembered for being business savvy and helping his community (Picture: Getty)

Police confirmed Nipsey’s death hours after his death and tributes flooded in from celebrities across social media, with Nipsey’s girlfriend Lauren telling fans she had ‘lost her best friend’ in a heartbreaking tribute.

Lauren has since revealed a huge tattoo of Nipsey’s face she has had inked onto her arm, telling her Instagram followers: ‘When you see me, you will always see him.’

She gave an emotional speech at his memorial service held at the Staples Centre on 11 April, which Jay-Z and Beyonce attended, Stevie Wonder performed and Snoop Dogg remembered the Victory Lap artist.

Police have arrested and charged Eric Holder over Nipsey’s murder. Holder has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.



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