Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Nipsey Hussle's murder rattles LA's tight-knit Eritrean community

A photo of Nipsey Hussle from his recent memorial service sits behind the bar at Industry Cafe & Jazz in Culver City. Its owner, Aron Tadesse, is part of the same tightly knit local Eritrean community that Hussle, the son of an Eritrean immigrant father, was raised in.
A photo of Nipsey Hussle from his recent memorial service sits behind the bar at Industry Cafe & Jazz in Culver City. Its owner, Aron Tadesse, is part of the same tightly knit local Eritrean community that Hussle, the son of an Eritrean immigrant father, was raised in.
(
Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC
)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Listen 4:28
Nipsey Hussle's murder rattles LA's tight-knit Eritrean community

The murder last month of L.A. rapper, entrepreneur and community activist Nipsey Hussle focused attention on the small but tight-knit community of Eritreans, East African immigrants who have lived in Southern California for decades. Hussle’s father is Eritrean, and the late rapper proudly embraced his Eritrean roots, just as members of the community embraced him as one of their own.

Local Eritrean Americans say they share a close bond, born of the struggles that their country endured during a 30-year war for independence from neighboring Ethiopia.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right