Killer Mike delivered a fierce speech about ending gang violence at a memorial service for Nipsey Hussle at Atlanta’s Morris Brown College Wednesday. The short video was posted on Facebook by radio DJ Charlamagne tha God.
The clip starts with Killer Mike praising the work Nipsey Hussle did in his own Los Angeles community and urging others to follow suit. “That rag that is over your forehead or out of your left pocket is better served wiping the sweat off your head for the work you were doing on behalf of your community in a way that is not murder of the Africans. You do not have to kill one another to prove your love to your neighborhood.”
The rapper continued to push community outreach and organization as an alternative to violence, reaching a fever pitch as he said, “Your enemy don’t give a fuck what color rag you wear. They will murder you in the streets, they will leave you dead for your momma to find, and I am tired of my enemy looking like me.”
Prior to speaking at Morris Brown College, Killer Mike posted a tribute to Nipsey Hussle on Instagram, writing, “A black man, was murdered today. He was a man to his woman, a father to his children and a leader in his community. We are weaker without him.”
Nipsey Hussle — real name Ermias Asghedom — was shot and killed in Los Angeles last Sunday outside a clothing store he owned. Asghedom was a fierce proponent of entrepreneurship, from the way he dealt with record labels to the various businesses he owned in Los Angeles that hired members of the community as employees. He even opened a STEM center and a co-working space to help black Los Angeles residents break into the tech industry.
The primary suspect in Asghedom’s death, Eric Holder, was arrested Tuesday and has been charged with murder, as well as two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.