Does the name, Nipsey Hussle ring a bell? Well, it depends on what you know about him. While the Los Angeles born rapper may not be a household name to some folks, Nipsey Hussle is an indie artist with a unique nature of a discography. Nipsey’s lyrical rendition did earn him the comparison with rap legends like Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, and Nas, but what really brought him to fame is his shrewd entrepreneurial skills and success.

From The Bottom To The Top

Born into a life of guns, drugs, gangs and violence, Nipsey spent some of his younger years in the streets, but as time went by, he began spending more time in discovering the genius in him and growing himself out of direct involvement in gang activity.

With time, dedication and patience, Nipsey Hussle was able to work on his craft and in 2005, he launched his first mixtape titled “Slauson Boy Volume 1,” which was followed by a series of other record selling mixtapes that became the turning point of his career both as a rapper and an entrepreneur. The huge success he recorded with his mixtapes following his ingenious marketing strategy allowed him to amass some wealth by launching a clothing line and investing in technology as well.

It was Nipsey Hussle’s business wisdom and savvy entrepreneurial drive that compares him to the likes of Jay-Z and Master P—two rap legends that scaled through hip hop to entrepreneurship in a similar fashion.

Lesson Learned From The Life Of A Departed Icon

On March 31, 2019, the hip-hop community awoke to the loss of one of its brightest stars, Nipsey Hussle. He was murdered outside of his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles.

Nipsey Hussle epitomized modern era black entrepreneurship. He was a highly successful independent hip hop artist–one of the few to exemplify true entrepreneurship. A self-made man and entrepreneurial powerhouse from the ground up. No handouts! We’re talking a combination of hard work, dedication, intelligence, wisdom, street smarts and talent.

Though he is gone too soon, Nipsey’s success as a rapper and businessman is a blueprint that many black entrepreneurs (especially young black entrepreneurs) can emulate. His death shouldn’t be in vain. Black business owners can always use him as an example of how to work hard (or work smarter, whichever you choose) and become the best entrepreneur they can be and take their brand/business to the next level.

So, here are 5 things all aspiring and established black entrepreneurs can learn from the life of Nipsey Hussle.

1.)            Be About Ownership

The will and ability to survive is innate, and it’s only those who discover it that can harness its power and become successful on their OWN. Nipsey discovered this earlier in his career, and his entire life was all about ownership—something ALL black entrepreneurs need to emulate. Let’s say it again—OWNERSHIP!

How did we know this?

–   Nipsey was always a huge advocate for ownership and entrepreneurship. This much was evident in the early stages of his career when he asked to be released from Epic Records. He then created his record label called All Money In, which enabled him to own and control his music and destiny, something many artists struggle to do. He attained a high level of success without being too dependent on major labels.

–   Nipsey understood that the foundation of success is hard work and the ultimate result emanates from owning your brand. In his interview with Forbes, Nipsey spelled out the need to own your brand instead of leveraging your influence to add value to someone else’s business (or app) that you have no ownership in. This is something all black entrepreneurs must take into consideration while striving to become successful.

–   From being in control of his destiny, Nipsey was able to achieve entrepreneurship success in such a relatively short period of time when he bought a strip mall in Crenshaw and opened up his clothing store, Marathon Clothing. The message was clear. If you want to be successful, you have to be in control of your own destiny!

2.)            Be An Outside-Of-The-Box Thinker

Critical thinking and self-belief are two inseparable twin factors that unearth the hidden treasures in becoming an entrepreneur. While you can have all the dreams in the world (even beggars have dreams), you must learn to think outside of the box to achieve your dreams with self-belief. This is one lesson that was evident in the life of the late rapper. Nipsey Hussle was an outside-of-the-box thinker! Black entrepreneurs that want to stand out must be able to think outside of the box as well! Now, how do we know this? Well, we know this to be true because:

–   Nipsey sold 1,000 copies of his “Crenshaw” mixtape for $100 each. It was a marketing strategy used to get people talking. It provoked curiosity and controversy because no one has ever sold a mixtape for that much before. Now, that is the brainchild of an ingenious thinker at work. Successful marketing rest on the shoulders of curiosity and direct connectivity to your target audience. All of these became even more apparent when:

• Jay-Z bought the first 100 copies of Nipsey’s Crenshaw Mixtapes—provoking the curiosity level to another height. Assuming you’re a die-hard fan of Jay-Z, you would want to know why your idol is so much interested in the work of another artist, an unpopular one for that matter. Before you know it, your curiosity drives you to get a copy and boom; you too have become connected as well.

• Rick Ross endorsed him – an act that further stoked the curiosity fire while attesting to Nipsey’s musical credibility and legacy.

• Nipsey Hussle created the “Midas touch” (extreme value) with his mixtapes when a high profiled celebrity like Jay-Z bought the first 100 copies, among other sales that earned him $100,000 in one day. He further added a touch of scarcity and more value by offering his other batch of mixtapes for $1,000 per copy, for which he sold 60 copies, netting the sum of $60,000. This shows that Nipsey Hussle understands the power of ‘Brand Marketing’ through direct connection with fans while building up value using the principles of scarcity to shape supply and demand—something every aspiring black entrepreneur should imbibe.

3.)            Be Loyal

Nipsey Hussle was one of the few black celebrities who made money and didn’t abandon his hometown. He remained loyal to his home. He remained loyal to black people, while a lot of black celebrities and black entrepreneurs become rich (and famous) and abandon their hometown and their people. But Nipsey’s case was different.

Nipsey Hussle’s past life in the streets as a ‘hustler’ outside of a strip mall at Crenshaw saw him and his crew’s initial success thwarted by local police, business owners, and other groups who would confiscate their ‘products’ or force them to move their setups. But, none of that deterred Nipsey and his loyal team from returning to their old block and reinvesting in their neighborhood when they had the means to do so. Such acts of loyalty account for why he became so successful back home. From being a renter, he became an owner, which proved to be a wise decision since he and his team knew the area so well and understood their consumers and their needs.

Nipsey and his team were able to achieve business success back home when he launched Vector 90, a STEM program in his hometown created to help young talents discover opportunities in Silicon Valley. By doing this, Nipsey created jobs, not just for his family alone but also for members of his community. This show of loyalty added to his overall success as a businessman as his immediate community responded by patronizing his merchandise.

Nipsey Hussle was also involved in real estate, tech and cryptocurrency investment—a small empire of his own.

One way black entrepreneurs can create repeat business and ensure customers for life is if they prove their loyalty to their community.

4.)            Be Self-Made

Nipsey Hussle was a self-made artist and entrepreneur. Being self-made means…

• Writing your own rules. Nipsey’s advocacy for black ownership was very evident throughout his life, especially in his music (“Last Time That I Checc’d” feat. YG). His refusal to work under any of the major music labels that were courting him; rather, deciding to go the independent artist way, is down to the fact that he knew that he could control his own destiny and live according to his own rules.

• Never making excuses. Being self-made also means taking challenges and never making excuses for non-performance and failure. Nipsey didn’t allow his previous life as a gangster to become an excuse for laziness; neither did he cultivate any. His dedication to building a career in music while quickly understanding the grind that comes with it allowed him to build a strong, small team, and never stopping to look back on past failures. This is something every black entrepreneur and independent artist should emulate.

• Know your value. You will never see the benefits of something if you don’t know its value. Everyone has potential, and Nipsey Hussle saw his and attached value to it (by defining and controlling his own destiny). He harnessed the power of his potential by making it work for him, and the result is the resounding success we are talking about today. Making do with what you have and making it work for you is something you should always strive to achieve as a black entrepreneur.

• Never giving up. Of course, this is obvious with Nipsey. Not many artists can overcome the street life to make it into rapping and then into building a successful business career. But that’s exactly what Nipsey Hussle did, despite not starting up in the greatest of circumstances. He never gave up in discovering the “real him” to become the accomplished figure he was until his untimely death.

Do you want to succeed as a black entrepreneur? Then never give up. Embrace your mistakes, learn from your failures and convert them into success. After that, start enjoying the process.

5.)            Be A Leader, Not A Follower

The road to success lies in your ability to map out and control your destiny/narrative. You have to take the initiative by assuming control of your brand while putting together and heading a strong team (whether small or big) that will help put your product out quickly. That is what Nipsey did, and it worked out for him. In that case, you should be willing to learn every job (leading by example) while being real with yourself. Remember that you are leading a team, which means you have to kill the ego and do what’s in the best interest of your team. Above all, hold yourself and your team accountable for all actions and inactions.

Final Thought

Though Nipsey Hussle is now resting in peace, his rise from the bottom to the top is something every black entrepreneur should seriously consider. The late rapper epitomizes the concept of strong will, self-determination, and economic mobility, going against the odds to achieve his goals and objectives. Nipsey Hussle was just another innocent black man caught in the web of America’s societal ills and unjust system. Notwithstanding, he is also one that has a story to tell even after his death. Let’s emulate his entrepreneurial spirit and encourage his legacy to live on by taking things to the next level!

R.I.P. Nipsey Hussle