You can’t say that the West Coast is back without mentioning the name Nipsey Hussle. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Nipsey jumped out into the streets early, joining up with the Neighborhood Rolling 60’s. After years in the streets, Nip took his street hustle and applied to the music industry.Dropping his first mixtape “Slauson Boy vol.1” in 2009, Nip made enough noise in the streets that Epic records would come calling.
After having label issues with Epic he applied that street hustle to the music again and came up with “The Marathon” a series of free mixtapes that he dropped online and in the streets, his hit single “Hussle in the House” was spawned off those mixtapes. Since then he dropped a slew a stellar projects and music. In 2010 he was named to the XXL Freshman cover and was named “most determined.”
His “Marathon” mixtape series has cemented him as the man on the West Coast. With co-signs from everyone from Snoop Dog to Rick Ross, it looks like Nip is about to extend this marathon for a few more years.
Content editor for Hip-Hop Enquirer Mehka had the chance to chop it up with Nipsey Hussle while at the New Era store in Atlanta about his music, the West Coast, rumors that he’s signed to a label and his new project “The Victory Lap: Marathon 3”
Hip Hop Enquirer: What got you in Atlanta right now homie?
Nipsey Hussle: Grind mode homie. Trying to get to work on this new project we working on called “Victory Lap: Marathon 3.” I’m also out here for the A3C , getting ready for that show tonight. I’m fucking with my boy Slow Bucks, they’re movement and shit. Other than that we just out here grinding.
Hip Hop Enquirer: Most fans know your story and that you started out in the streets. Tell us how you transitioned from the streets to the beats.
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Nipsey Hussle: That was a long transition. Basically, in a nutshell I devoted myself to this shit. That was basically it. I started working full-time on it. One thing lead to another and we just hopped on every opportunity and we here no.
Hip Hop Enquirer: The West Coast is moving back to being in the forefront of the hip-hop scene. Speak about seeing the West Coast come back from obscurity.
Nipsey Hussle: I’m happy to see the attention back on the West. Especially the artists like myself who have been undeniably West Coast even when we weren’t at the forefront. I think that its just the product of a lot of hard work paying off. There are a lot of artists that devoted themselves to it and putting in work for a while. I feel like now the world is starting to pay more attention to it.
Hip Hop Enquirer: There are rumors that you might be singing to Maybach Music. Are those rumors true?
Nipsey Hussle: I’m a fan of Maybach and everything that they’re doing. Right now I’m building this All Money In (records) thing right now. We doing that. I believe in linking up and making allies. We working on something right now, but nothing official as of yet.
Hip Hop Enquirer: Speak about the new project “The Victory Lap: The Marathon 3.” Who are you working with as far as producers and artists?
Nipsey Hussle: The new project will be entirely by produced 1500 or nothin. You know that consists of a lot of producers, writers, muscians. It’s a lot that they bring to it, not just one sound. They just bring their gumbo to the mix. We got James Fauntlroy II on it, we got The Futuristics, we got Timberland, we going to get the homie 9th wonder on it. I got a cat called Jiggy Hendrix on it that I’ve been working with. I got Dj Mustard on it too. As far as artists, I got YG and Dom Kennedy as well. Rimpau and Colby.
Hip Hop Enquirer: I know that you and YG are working on a collaborative project as well. Speak on that a little bit.
Nipsey Hussle: We working. He’s another nigga from the city that came up and is really, really, really from the city and I respect it.I’m seeing him going to another level and I fuck with him. We’re going to do a project. Dom Kennedy will be involved, I’ll reach out to Tyga and Game as well.
Hip Hop Enquirer: Who are some of the artists that we should see coming up out of the West Coast scene next?
Nipsey Hussle: Rimpau, the new mixtape out “About my business” it’s on datpiff right now. Colby. Ken Malik he’s a young artist out Compton. Dom Kennedy, YG, Overdose, I just heard some new shit from him that’s crazy. We’re about to work on a song together. It’s a long list.
Hip Hop Enquirer: When you’re all done running this marathon and you’re career is winding down, what do you want to be remembered for.
Nipsey Hussle: I want my legacy to be just being a nigga that was real and inspired and was true to himself to it and was real with it.
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