Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz
The untimely death of Nipsey Hussle has not only left the hip-hop community incredibly sad but has also inspired all of his fans.
People have been inspired to follow in Nipsey’s footsteps of continuing the marathon of Black ownership, finding your purpose in life and now, picking up a book every once in a while. Hussle was an avid reader, and frequently name drops his favorite books in interviews over the years, which have since influenced the The Marathon Book Club.
“Now, almost a year later, 74 black men and two Latinos make up the four chapters of The Marathon Book Club,” writes Angel Jennings in her L.A. Times story.
Jennings, who lives in South Los Angeles understands Nipsey’s impact on the community, which is why when she discovered a meme of Hussle that included some of his favorite books, she knew she was on to something.
The meme was created by Simran Kaleka, a 31-year-old lawyer –who goes by @theSimSity on Twitter– which Jennings says was done to “gave his fans a way to process their grief.”
Kaleka found solace in the Cali rapper’s music after 2012 when a tragedy struck her family. When a white supremacist opened fire in a Sikh temple in Milwaukee, fatally shooting six people and wounding four others.
“I fell into probably the darkest place in my life. Listening to his music was therapeutic and it helped me ascend and helped me navigate,” ” Kaleka said of the days following the shooting.
Others have found comfort in his books and Baldwin Hills book store owner Malik Muhammad, even sells several of the rapper’s favorite books together, dubbed the “Nipsey Pack”.
Peep the entire article here to see how people are using Nipsey’s influence to help improve their local communities.
