A Los Angeles jury has found Eric Ronald Holder Jr., 32, guilty of first-degree murder of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle. The 33-year-old Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur, who founded the record label All Money In, was shot and killed outside of his Marathon Clothing Store in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019.
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The California jury reached its verdict after meeting for less than an hour on the second day of deliberations. In addition to first-degree murder, Holder was also found guilty of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, and two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter; two other men were injured as a result of the 2019 shooting. He will be sentenced on Sept. 15 and faces life in prison.
Throughout his career, Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, collaborated with dozens of artists throughout his career, including Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla Sign, Young Thug, Meek Mill, TG, and more. Under All Money In, Hussle released more than a dozen mix tapes, including Crenshaw in 2013, which sold more than 1,000 copies of the first editions priced at $100 each. By 2017, Hussle revealed that All Money In had entered in a strategic partnership with Atlantic Records prior to the release of the debut album Victory Lap in 2018.
That same year, Hussle also opened his first Marathon Clothing smart store and owned several other businesses including The Marathon Agency, SC Commercial Ventures, Proud 2 Pay, and launched a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education center in February 2018 in Crenshaw, California to help train underrepresented and disenfranchised youth in the relevant fields. Prior to his death, Hussle had plans to expand the program nationwide.
“In our culture, there’s a narrative that says, ‘Follow the athletes, follow the entertainers,’” said Hussle. “And that’s cool but there should be something that says, ‘Follow Elon Musk, follow [Mark] Zuckerberg.’ I think that with me being influential as an artist and young and coming from the inner city, it makes sense for me to be one of the people that’s waving that flag.”
Following Hussle’s death, several artists have used the rapper’s verses in their songs, including Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and Big Sean. In 2020, Hussle won a posthumous Best Rap Performance Grammy for “Racks in the Middle,” featuring Roddy Ricch and record producer Hit-Boy and released a month before his death. He also picked up a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy Award for his appearance on DJ Khaled’s “Higher” with John Legend.
That same year, Meek Mill and Roddy Ricch also released a memorial track titled for the artist, “Letter to Nipsey.” In 2021, Hussle was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Fame.
Photo: Atlantic Records
