Nipsey Hussle’s final music video ‘Higher’ a tribute to the slain rapper

Los Angeles Times
Thursday, May 16, 2019 1:41 p.m. | Thursday, May 16, 2019 1:41 p.m.

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AP file

In this March 29, 2018, file photo shows rapper Nipsey Hussle at an NBA basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks in Oakland, Calif. Hussle was shot and killed Sunday, March 31, 2019, outside of his clothing store in Los Angeles.

DJ Khaled and John Legend released Nipsey Hussle’s final music video on Friday “with the full blessing” of the late rapper’s family.

Khaled said Thursday that it took “a soul-searching journey” to proceed with “Higher,” a song by Khaled that features Nipsey and appears on Khaled’s new album, “Father of Asahd.”

The accompanying video, set on top of a parking structure in Inglewood, was filmed just days before Hussle was gunned down outside his South L.A. clothing store in late March.

“The very title of the song reminds us that vibrating on a ‘Higher’ level was the essence of Nipsey’s soul,” Khaled wrote in a message shared on Twitter.

A gift from my brother Nipsey that we want to share with the world. We miss you and we will forever keep your legacy going. The Marathon Continues. ??

God Bless You. ?? pic.twitter.com/QZ5LUxwP03

— DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) May 16, 2019

Legend shared the same missive on Instagram, adding that he was “proud to be a part of this inspiring record with djkhaled and nipseyhussle. We lost him too soon.” The Grammy and Oscar winner referenced the music video for the “beautiful new song” in a March tweet mourning Hussle’s death.

The rapper, regarded as a symbol of hope in a neighborhood he was trying to rehabilitate, was 33 when he died.

?? The Marathon continues. Watch DJ Khaled, Nipsey Hussle, and John Legend's inspiring video for "Higher" https://t.co/LMJqZw0kEe pic.twitter.com/vaXqwZpaA0

— Rap-Up (@RapUp) May 17, 2019