It’s hard to believe that Nipsey Hussle is no longer with us. Nipsey was shot and killed on March 31. 2019. At the time, he was beginning to ascend into a superstar. The year prior, Nipsey released his only studio album Victory Lap. Victory Lap dropped 5 years ago today and it was an instant success for hip hop heads. The consumers didn’t run out and immediately support the project as it sold 53K the first week. The project was dope, but unfortunately the buyers didn’t pick up on it until he passed away. Victory Lap has gone platinum, but Nipsey Hussle is more than just a rapper. Nip was an entrepreneur who preached about investing money into your own community. This mindset is what lead to his demise because his life was cut short where he ran the streets.

Nipsey Hussle opened a clothing store to bring jobs to the community and it was rumored he had more in store. As far as the album, Last Time That I Checc’d was the first single released. The single featured fellow L.A. native Y.G. The track was dope, and it went gold. The following month, Nipsey released his second single from Victory Lap, and it featured Kendrick Lamar. Dedication was the name, and it was one of the best tracks off the project. Dedication was a straight west coast record, and it went gold also. Before Victory Lap, Nipsey was known for his countless mixtapes over the years. Jay-Z got word about his hustle and purchase 100 copies of his Crenshaw mixtape. The Marathon was my introduction to Nipsey back in 2010 and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Kendrick Lamar, Puff Daddy, CeeLo Green, YG, The Dream and Marsha Ambrosius all appeared on the album. Victory Lap has so many bangers on it that it’s even sadder than Nipsey didn’t release another project. Victory Lap, Dedication, Blue Laces 2, Right Hand 2 God and Million While You Young are my top-5. Check out the videos for the singles up above. Below you can peep the track listing and stream link.