The day they spoke in a Crenshaw parking lot, Nipsey Hussle and the man who shot him to death saw their "arcs in life were bending in different directions," a Los Angeles County prosecutor said Wednesday.
Hussle — born Ermias Asghedom — was a year removed from releasing his Grammy-nominated album "Victory Lap" and was gaining a reputation as a community hero trying to reinvest in the neighborhood where he grew up. He owned the parking lot where he was shot, a clothing store it served. He owned the whole plot of land.
Eric Holder Jr., 33, also was an aspiring rapper, but one who was "not nearly as successful, not nearly as respected" as Hussle, Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney said Wednesday during his opening statement in Holder's murder trial.
