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In an interview with People, rapper Big Sean opened up about what he learned from late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The two rappers met as teenagers and remained good friends until Hussle’s death on March 31, 2019. One of the last verses the rap legend completed before his death was featured on Sean’s latest Grammy-nominated single, “Deep Reverence” from Detroit 2.
The Detroit 2 rapper said it feels “great” to have earned his sixth Grammy nomination, including his third for Best Rap Performance.
“The song, ‘Deep Reverence,’ for me and Nipsey Hussle is such an important rap song, so it’s an honor, and I appreciate the honor [the Recording Academy] gave me,” Sean tells People.
He described Nipsey as “more like my brother” who he “learned a lot from.”
“One of the things that hurt so bad about seeing Nipsey go was that we saw a lot of our best qualities in him,” explained Sean. “We saw how much he cared about his people and his neighborhood, and how pro-Black business he was. He was about making his own way and being a boss. That type of empowerment in the Black community. [It’s] what we all need, Black or not, but especially the Black community. It hurt to see him go.”
He continues, “One of the things I did learn from him was to take care of your people and do it for all the right reasons — to be your own boss. He was also into a lot of the health things I’m into taking care of yourself.”
To take care of his people, Big Sean partnered with McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Mentors program to mentor 19-year-old-aspiring rapper Nyla on the music industry’s ins and outs.
By Rachel George
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