Nipsey Hussle Honored With Humanitarian Award at 2019 BET Awards

Nipsey Hussle was honored posthumously on Sunday with the 2019 Humanitarian Award at this year’s BET Awards. T.I. spoke about the late rapper and his legacy. “There will never be another Nipsey Hussle,” he said. “He was a revolutionary. His emphasis on the power of equity and ownership of our art led the charge of independence and created a blueprint for other kind of artists today to follow…He inspired people across the world while never abandoning the community and culture that raised him. it’s been nearly three months since we lost Nip and many are still discovering how legendary he really was.”

Less than three months ago, Nipsey was fatally shot outside of his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles. While we continue to mourn his tragic death, his spirit lives on through his humanitarian work and endless efforts to better his community and provide children in low-income communities with opportunities that they could utilize to, like he did, make a better life for themselves.  

Nipsey was focused on creating a low-income housing building in the same location as the Marathon store in the Hyde Park neighborhood, along with an open-air, public art and cultural experience known as “Destination Crenshaw.” He helped launch “Too Big To Fail,” which would create STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) centers for local youth. The day after he was killed, Hussle was scheduled to meet with LAPD officials to discuss ways to bring an end to gang violence. 

“As a prolific artist and leader, Nipsey Hussle was zealous about driving change for the betterment of his community, empowering and employing those in need and being an influential and highly respected activist,” executive vice president and head of programming at BET, Connie Orlando, said in a press release. 

“His passing was a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry and to the culture,” Orlando continued. “We will continue to remember his advocacy and be inspired by the groundwork he set forth and his dire commitment to social change. We are forever grateful, humbled and honored to have experienced his presence and we are invested in doing our part to ensure that the marathon will indeed continue. It is an immense honor for us to recognize him with this year’s Humanitarian Award.”

Lauren Londoin and Nispey’s mother, Angelique Smith, accepted the award on his behalf.