Meek Mill and Nipsey Hussle only collaborated a few times during the latter’s lifetime but it looks like they were working on something at the time of Nip’s death, which was never released.

Last week, Meek Mill released his new protest song “Otherside Of America” but it appears as though the track was originally supposed to feature another artist. 

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Sharing a text message log with Nipsey Hussle on Instagram, Meek Mill claims that the late rapper had recorded a verse for the concept and was ready to go. It’s unclear why his verse was not included in the official release but it’s possible that the song was rushed out because of the protests.

In the texts, you can see that Nipsey suggested “Otherside of America” as the song’s title, sending back his verse at the end of the night. 

“Nip was supposed to be on this,” wrote Meek. “RIP King!”

The two rappers were actually working on a collaborative project at the time of Nipsey’s murder, but it doesn’t seem likely for that to ever see the light of day.

“We never finished it… it’s songs left but they for his family,” said Meek this year.

Maybe we’ll get to hear Nip’s verse on “Otherside of America” eventually.

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Lauren London joined Jada Pinkett Smith during the most recent episode of Red Table Talk to discuss their experiences with gun violence as women. Although the footage was taped prior to the pandemic and, thus, the most recent, publicized police killings of Black individuals in America, Jada recorded an updated introduction in light of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.  “As we are witnessing our black men being murdered in the streets, very rarely do we talk about the women who are left behind grief-stricken and shattered,” Jada says. “George Floyd has a six-year-old daughter, a sister, a girlfriend. Ahmaud Arbery [has] a mother, a sister. Both men have countless heartbroken women—aunts, cousins, friends—in their lives who love them. We are dedicating this Red Table Talk to how gun violence affects women.” She also acknowledges the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, who was “struck by eight bullets while sleeping in her own home” on March 13th.

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

During their conversation, Lauren speaks to Jada about what it was like losing her life partner and father of her child, Nipsey Hussle, to gun violence last year, and how she’s been handling raising two black sons in a world where they will often be perceived as a threat for no reason. “So you’re raising two black boys. As a mother, what are some of your precautions or some of your messaging?” Jada asks her. “What I instill in them is more about the police,” Lauren responds. “How to handle yourself when you get pulled over. That’s more of my education, protecting them being Black men in America.” She also talks about her experiences with gun violence growing up.

Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

“Just growing up in LA, in the area that I was around. In high school, a lot of the boys were in gangs, and I remember that a lot of our friends, by summertime they were gone,” she recalls. “They had transitioned from gun violence. So you kind of got… I don’t want to say numb, but used to hearing it.” She and Jada then relate with one another about essentially risking your life every time you went to a party in high school. “That’s traumatizing,” Lauren says. “To be 16 years old, having to be on guard when you go into a party.”

“You just get used to figuring out how to keep yourself safe in these environments,” Jada points out. “Most of us grow up in war zones. And I did not even realize that until my life changed. When I started to look at how my kids were growing up versus me. But that’s not their reality.” Later on in the episode, Jada, along with the rest of the ladies of Red Table Talk, speak with peacemaker and activist Erica Ford as well as gun violence survivors Rain Stippec and Dani Robinson. Watch the full episode below:

Nipsey Hussle was tragically killed one year ago outside of his store in Los Angeles, The Marathon Clothing. His accused killer, Eric Holder, is currently awaiting his trial, which has been delayed to later this year. As Hussle’s family seeks justice for the loss of their beloved Ermias Asghedom, they’re also giving back to the people who were there for Nip during his life.

Snoop Dogg was shocked to see Samiel Asghedom, also known as Blacc Sam, pull up on him this week with a care package from The Marathon Clothing, as well as some specially-branded products to show love to the late, great Nipsey Hussle.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

“My neffew Blacc Sam pulled up on me today dropped off a package @themarathonclothing @canafarms.818 #UncleSamOg #tmc,” wrote Snoop Dogg on Instagram, showing off his new goodies. 

He was most interested in the brand new Uncle Sam OG strain of marijuana, which is currently available at Cana Farms Marijuana Dispensary in Los Angeles. Snoop got his stash for free from Uncle Sam himself, but you can cop some of the bud at the dispensary.

Snoop Dogg was a big supporter of Nipsey Hussle during his career, even speaking at his memorial at the STAPLES Center last year.

The duality of Los Angeles has been explored in pop culture through many lenses. Someone like Post Malone, for example, released an album called Hollywood’s Bleeding. An album that chronicles Post’s complicated relationship with Los Angeles prior to making the move to Utah, out of all places. Even with the flashing lights and camera, dolled up models and Hidden Hills mansions, there’s a dark side to Hollywood that seemingly pops out when things get comfy. But even so, not everyone is privileged enough to get up and get out when shit goes left. 

Los Angeles is far more than a breeding ground of false hope for aspiring actors, models, and musicians. A half an hour drive from Hollywood on the I-110 South will take you to South Los Angeles where things are certainly more real than Hollywood has ever been. Stories from this area have made their way onto the big screen through the authentic voices of Ava Duvernay and John Singleton but the unadulterated raw and unfiltered reality has always been captured by revered wordsmiths like Ice Cube, Ice-T, ScHoolboy Q, and of course, Nipsey Hussle. 

Image provided by the label. Photo: Benny Billions

Bino Rideaux is the latest star to emerge from South Central Los Angeles. Initially introduced on No Pressure, a collaborative album with Nipsey Hussle, today marks the release of his major-label debut, Outside which comes out Def Jam. It comes at a tumultuous time, though. It’s been over a year since the passing of Nipsey Hussle, and a few months since Los Angeles lost Kobe Bryant. Currently, residents of Los Angeles are facing the grave impact of coronavirus, even as the city begins to reopen its economy.

“[I’m] Just a neighborhood n***a out of South Central here to bring you good vibes,” Bino described himself over the phone with HNHH. “[I’m trying to] Make you feel something, whether you going through something or you had a good ass day. Shit, we gonna bring the vibe out in the music.”

Outside is surely an ironic title for a project released in the coronavirus era, especially for a debut album. Performance options have been limited to live streams. Press runs are now held on Zoom conference calls. The very idea of even being physically present around fans became obsolete in the past two months. Bino, though, is a man of the people, regardless of what’s actually going on outside. “The music could be really helpful to people right now. That’s what they need right now,” he explained days before the project’s release.

We recently caught up with Bino Rideaux over the phone to discuss his new album, helping carry Nipsey’s legacy and how fatherhood shaped his hustle. 

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

HNHH: What’s good? It’s Aron from HotNewHipHop. How you doing, bro?

Bino Rideaux: What’s going on, buddy? 

Chilling. How you doing right now?

Man, coolin’, trying to stay out the way.

I feel you. You’re in LA right now? 

Yeah, I’m in the city, I’m at home.

You’ve just been quarantined this whole time, I guess? 

Yeah, I’ve been laid up in my apartment, but just last week I started stepping outside a little bit. 

Honestly, it’s probably healthy just to get some fresh air and what not.

Yeah, like I was going crazy getting stuck in here. 

I feel you. You been watching anything on Netflix? You been keeping up with the Last Dance?

Man, I done watched all this shit, that’s the problem. We been locked in so long, I done watched everything in like a week. You catch me on 2K. I’m probably on 2K every day. 

Ah, so the video games been keeping your spirits up?

Yeah man, keeps me alive, man.

A lot of people are starting to really take notice of you after you’ve been bubbling in the underground for so long. For anybody who’s unfamiliar with you, who is Bino Rideaux?

Bino Rideaux. Just a neighborhood n***a out of South Central here to bring you good vibes, you know what I’m saying? Make you feel something, whether you going through something or you had a good ass day. Shit, we gonna bring the vibe out in the music.

As somebody from South Central Los Angeles, there’s a real strong lineage of hip hop out there. So who were some of your musical influences growing up? 

Aw shit, man. Everybody. I had a broad ear. Like I listened to all types of shit. Of course Nip and Dom [Kennedy], you know what I’m saying? They was like the given. Then you got Kendrick [Lamar]. Everybody that put on for the city, you know. So I came up on Westside Connection and Dogg Pound, Eastsidaz, all that shit. But, I listen to Nas. I listen to Jay-Z. I listen to other genres. I listen to all types of shit bro. I’m just here for the sounds. 

What type of music was being played in the house when you were growing up?

Oldies, you know what I’m saying. You’d probably hear some Mary J. Go to my uncle’s room, you’ll probably hear some ‘Pac, some Cube. Uh, great grandparents probably listen to some Sly And The Family Stone, some old crazy shit. Just all types of shit in my household. I grew up in a Louisiana household in Los Angeles though. 

With the new project, Outside, talk to me about the significance of that title especially with the strange times that we’re in.

We had a whole other title for the project we were running with, but as the shit kept getting longer and longer —  we in the house, we in quarantine — it just fit. And it fit with all of our brand and the vibe of the music. The way the project flows. It’s like outside of my city, you can kind of feel my energy. There’s a few of us out here that make noise. You can feel the energy outside. Or If you go to a party. We kind of the voice in the whole essence of the hood in my city. So, Outside, it really just — I don’t know. It made sense from top to bottom. 

Obviously with touring and performance opportunities put on hold for the time being, why did it kind of make it sense to release it at this point rather than wait until you can go the traditional route?

I mean, we thought about it. But we started going back and forth on that subject. We just decided to go through with it, you know what I’m saying? The music could be really helpful to people right now. That’s what they need right now. So rather than punishing them because of the shit that’s going on, just give them the music, and I’m gonna give them a whole ‘nother album later anyway.

So you’ve just dropped the tracklist for the project. What song are you most excited for people to hear? 

Um, probably “Mismatch.” A lot of people heard the song. I did a Triller on it and you know what I’m saying people leak shit all the time. That’s the song I made right after I left Def Jam so I was in my bag. Like I was in New York. I just met the labels. And you know, I was just feeling like that n***a. I was in my vibe, so we went straight to the studio. I made that so “Mismatch” is on the project. 

You have collaborations with Ty Dolla $ign and Mozzy who’s one of my personal favorites right now. Tell me about those collaborations with those artists and why you chose them for this project. 

You know, I got a lot of features or whatever and a lot of them not on this project. I wanted this project to be more intimate if that makes sense. I want this project to be more people who I got a certain type of relationship or certain level of mutual respect, you feel me? So that’s why I really chose these artists, you know what I’m saying? Me and Fredo, we on the same label. I met him when I first went to the label in New York. It was good energy, he’s a good dude. Ty, you know what I’m saying, that’s big bro. He’s been tapped in and kind of you know what I’m saying playing a mentor role. It’s just all people I value to a certain extent, I put them in this project.

No, definitely. Especially since they say your debut is your life’s work up until that point.

Facts.

Personally, I began taking notice after the No Pressure project with Nipsey Hussle dropped. In retrospect, how does it feel to be part of his musical legacy and what does it mean for him to be part of yours?

Man, you can’t really put it into words. I’m honored to play a role in his story, you feel me? And I wouldn’t have it any other way that he’s the foundation for mine, you feel me? I appreciate it, bro. I embrace it. Because it’s like it’s a heavy title, you know what I’m saying? Also, I’m built for it. 

Do you feel like there’s additional pressure on your debut album? Or generally, coming out of the West and under Nipsey’s wing. 

Oh, hell yeah. It’s pressure, but it’s bittersweet. It’s the pressure of not disrespecting his legacy, you know what I’m saying? Making the right moves, you know what I’m saying?  Everybody’s expecting you to go a certain way now so you gotta carry that chip on your shoulder and kind of, maintain your own sanity, you know what I’m saying? And move forward. But at that same time, Nip is big bro. A lot of people didn’t get to experience and I’m appreciative that I was able to, you feel me? 

I remember hearing Roddy Rich talk about being around Nipsey. He explained that the best game and knowledge he got from Nipsey was from watching how he moves and approached the game. What type of game did you learn from him? What do you think the most valuable lesson you got out of your time with him was?

Nipsey just taught me how to be rock solid, you feel me? How to not fold. How to stay consistent and resilient. I learned that from him. Independent, and really going for the gusto. There were no shortcuts, like it was straight up. Yeah, that’s true. He’s not really teaching you. You’re just kind of soaking up natural game. It came off so naturally. So, yeah I learned a lot from bro.

For someone like yourself just getting deeper into the rap game, how do you stay so solid when there are so many snakes moving in the industry around you?

The game gonna test you, you know? That’s something Nipsey taught me early, so I was kind of prepared. When you’re just starting out in this industry, it’s crazy. It’s chaos. Things come from left field. You just gotta kind of stand your ground and that’s the resilience, you know what I’m sayin’? Shit gets ugly way before it gets cute, you know what I’m saying? Shit ain’t just easy. Like a lot of people think it’s gonna be easy, but you just gotta be willing. I feel like if you’re willing, you’re built for it — it’s no pressure. That’s why we really put the No Pressure project out ‘cause of that. 

I was skimming through your Instagram page and I know you just had a daughter last year, I believe, so congratulations. I know her name is Victory which I suspect is in homage to Nipsey. How does fatherhood not only change your creative process but your hustle as well?

I feel like when I found out I was finna have a kid, I tapped in, like, I was on a different level, I really locked in. I was already grinding. Shit turned into something else. Like I’m grinding for somebody else now. I don’t know it kind of woke something up inside me, and now I’m here, you feel me? I kind of give her that respect, my daughter. I give my daughter that respect like, I wouldn’t be right here without you.

Definitely. Obviously she’s not even one year old yet, and you’re just about to drop your debut album. When she turns 15 or 16, what do you hope she will take from your music at the end of the day?

It’s funny, she turns one tomorrow. Tomorrow’s her first birthday. 

Oh, shit. congratulations!

Thank you. When she’s fifteen — hopefully, by that time, I did my share of shit for the community and I’m where I want to be as far as outside of music, you know what I’m saying? Publicly and in and throughout the community. So I want to teach her just the same shit I learned. As far as we all we got and being solid and being strong. ‘Cause it’s still hell out here, you know what I’m saying? Even if we rich as shit, we still minorities. We still black people. So I want her to really carry the weight of my name, respectfully, and be her own individual at the same time. 

You get a lot of people in the West Coast for how you’re representing your hood. How do you feel about the state of West Coast rap right now? 

I feel like right now, we’re amongst a wave of artists that’s about to hit us, you know what I’m saying? It’s a lot of new young faces, as far as West Coast music goes. I feel like it’s such good music. It’s a lot of talent over there so I don’t know. The West might be on top for a few years, honestly. The way I shit going, and the shit I’m hearing, it’s looking real good for the West Coast. 

Who are some of your favorite artists coming out right now like new West Coast artists? 

New West Coast artists I’m fucking with. BlueBucksClan, for sure. OneTake still doing his shit. Even Rucci making noise and we from two different sides of the city. Of course, Roddy going crazy. Like, it’s a lot of music out here. Shoreline. A lot of good music. A lot of good individuals. I’m fucking with it. Might be like the 90s again.

No, for sure. One person I know you have songs with is Drakeo the Ruler. He has a really terrifying legal situation he’s dealing with right now and it’s stirring up concern just because of how the government can easily target a rapper just for lyrics. So just with that in mind, do you ever feel concerned about the things you say in your music and if they might have any implications on you down the line? 

I ain’t incriminating myself, you know what I’m saying? I ain’t saying nothing in my music that’s gonna have me fucked up or jammed up. They watch my shit. They play my shit all the time in the county. Whenever I shoot a music video in the hood, they come crash the shoot and break it up, you know what I’m saying? But we ain’t too worried about that we keep it clean, you know what I’m saying? (laughs) We not criminals no more. 

Do you think often times the LAPD and local authorities, in general, overlook all the stuff you do for the community?

Yeah. I ain’t heard no praise or nothing. Like the “Bet” video, we tried to do the “Bet” video. I just released the video for “Bet”. We shot that on Slauson and Crenshaw. Kids came out. Fans came out. I brought Tommy The Clown out. That’s a staple in Los Angeles. He brought dancers out. Clowns is dancing, it’s like a carnival in the corner. They came and crashed that. They broke that up. I don’t know — I stay in my line when it comes to that. Just cause I seen so much Nip dealing with that but we know what it is, you know?

Last question, what’s on your bucket list, and what are your goals? Where do you see yourself going in the next five, ten, fifteen, twenty years? 

Man, I wanna be like one of them rare cases when n***s go diamond. I wanna go diamond, that’s a bar.

No, definitely. Do you have any last thoughts you want to send the fans?

Man, just stream Outside. that’s it.

Roddy Ricch owes a lot to Nipsey Hussle. Early in the rising star’s career, the Los Angeles rapper was the only person to throw him a co-sign, inviting him onto “Racks In The Middle” and contributing to the star’s massive growth. Fast forward one year and Roddy Ricch is a Grammy winner and has the longest-running #1 single of the year with “The Box.” 

Nipsey Hussle saw something in Roddy Ricch that nobody else did. He recognized his star potential and supported the Compton rapper until the very end. When he passed, Ricch got a face tattoo in his honor before being announced as a Grammy winner by his side. This week, he finally received his prize in the mail and it was a bittersweet moment for him.

“Thank u @nipseyhussle,” wrote Roddy Ricch on social media, showing off his brand new Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance on “Racks In The Middle.”

Everybody has been getting their awards in the mail this month, including Cardi B’s prize for Invasion Of Privacy. 

Roddy Ricch is one of the few who took the opportunity to show off the hardware, proving that hard work pays off eventually. 

Congratulations to Roddy on his win. The Marathon Continues.

“That violence, that poverty, that madness spawned a beautiful art form,” Mister Cartoon says in Netflix’s L.A. Originals. “Those guys sitting in cells that will never get out helped shape an art form. This rose out of the crack in the concrete.”

Estevan Oriol/Getty Images

Mister Cartoon and Estevan Oriol have captured the world of East Los Angeles and beyond for nearly 30 years. Cartoon’s stylistic choices merge the worlds of jail artwork and graffiti together while Estevan has captured still moments in some of the rawest and chaotic environments. Their work has influenced a generation of artists and photojournalists that followed but more importantly, it gave the world insight into East L.A. from their perspective. A world that balances the beauty and resilience of Chicano culture and the bleak reality of L.A.’s underworld.

The distinctive art style that comes from East L.A can be attributed to their work throughout the 90s and 2000s. Netflix’s L.A. Originals delivers a candid look into their illustrious careers with unreleased behind-the-scenes footage from their work with 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Eminem as well as glimpses from the S.A. Studios era in Los Angeles’ Skid Row area.

L.A. Originals has been in the making for a few years but its actual release arrived months after the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and days after the one-year anniversary of Nipsey Hussle’s murder. Kobe, who was interviewed for the documentary months before his passing, was tattooed by Mister Cartoon. A notable photo of a young baby faced Nipsey Hussle in the streets of Crenshaw has inspired murals across the globe. Estevan took that photo. 

Tattoos get carried to the grave while photos immortalize moments. And as much as Estevan and Cartoon carry on the legacies of others through their work, it’s their subjects that allow their artwork to live beyond the grave. 

“I’ll do like a back piece for my friend and you know, one of my buddies, he OD’d and they take your artwork into the box, you know what I’m saying? It lasts longer. They might have some jewelry on, they might have some other things — clothes or something to ‘em. But it’s a trip that your actual artwork is going to go back into the earth,” Toon told HNHH. “And you know, sometimes, Estevan captures these guys so we have their picture. It’s a little bit of our way of, kind of, putting our flag into the ground, you know what I mean? Kind of just saying, ‘we were here.’ This is tribal for us. Kind of like an Aztec Warrior carving on the side of a pyramid, you know? It’s our way of leaving our mark.”

Following the release of L.A. Originals, Estevan Oriol and Mister Cartoon chopped it up with us about the making of the documentary, Chicano artwork in the Trump era, and working with Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle. 

This interview was lightly edited for clarity. 

HotNewHipHop: How’re you doing, man? How are you holding up in the midst of this craziness? 

Mister Cartoon: Well, I mean, I don’t wanna act like I’m having too much fun but if the government tells me to stay home and smoke weed again, I’m just gonna take orders from the government, you know? 

Bro, I feel that 100%. That’s exactly how I felt about this whole thing. 

MC: (Laughs) Nah I mean, what I do, my artwork, I’m in isolation. If I have my friends around, I can’t concentrate. They start telling stories. There’s time for that. And then there’s times for me to be in solitude and get work done. So, it’s actually a real positive thing in the midst of a lot of negatives for other people, you know. 

*Estevan Oriol joins call*

Hey, nice to talk to you, man. 

Estevan Oriol:Yeah, nice to talk to you too. 

Thank you guys so much. Estevan, how are you doing? 

EO: I’m doing pretty good. 

Excellent, so now that I have both of you here I just want to congratulate you guys on the documentary. It was really dope just to get an insight into the work you guys have done over the years. How’d you guys hook up with Netflix to bring this documentary to life? 

EO: We got signed to a production deal with Sebastian Ortega. He has a production company called Underground. He has one of the biggest running Netflix shows in Argentina. It’s called El Marginal, and he came up here to meet somebody and met with me along the way, and I took him over to meet Cartoon at this photoshoot we were doing. He has one of the only lowriders in Argentina. He might have the only lowrider in Argentina and he’s all sleeved down. He wears Dickies and a T-shirt and Chucks to work and he’s a film exec. I was like, “Man, this guy is perfect, he gets it.” There’s no pitch or anything like that. It’s more like he said, “Hey, whatever happened to that doc? You know, if you guys want, I’ll do it for you.” And he walked us into Netflix and you know, it got signed right then and there. 

That’s dope, especially since a lot of it is unreleased footage. How’d you guys, through all that 25 years of footage, skim through all that and decide what was going to be used and what wasn’t? 

EO: Well, that was probably the hardest part of making the film. To me, I think the hardest part of anything is the editing. And you know, because for me, I shoot so much, like, I don’t shoot a bunch of dead footage. I just shoot like selected good stuff. So, I had 25 years of good footage and you know, the same with the photos. Our original goal was to try to do something like The Defiant Ones. We wanted to do like a four-part docu-series cause we thought we had enough footage that big and that long. But, we got just the 90-minute deal, so we ran with that and we just had to pick the highlights of all the footage and all the photos throughout the years and that was one of the hardest parts. A lot of people didn’t make it and a lot of good footage didn’t make it, but you know that’s all we could do in those 90 minutes. 

Obviously this documentary goes through the highs and lows of your career, were there any scenes or footage that were particularly difficult to watch? 

EO: Hmm, not really. For me, I saw the movie about 20 times before it got to the point where it’s at, so I had seen that footage over and over and over again. Maybe, the first time watching something, you’re like, “Oh, whoa.” But after seeing it a bunch of times, you’re kind of numb to it. For me, we didn’t really put too much of the hardcore stuff in there. There was a lot of stuff we held back on for, you know, reasons of, like — if you put too much out there, then people are gonna be judging you and stuff like that. And we still have to work and we got families and all that so we didn’t want to just put it all out on the line and just be like, you know, “Here’s us, take it how you want.” There might be a repercussion of some kind of stuff like that if you’re planning to be out there in the workforce, getting work and stuff like that because might judge you and be like, “Oh you know, he’s the guy that was doing this or that.” So, there’s a lot of stuff, you know, [that] we just kept to ourselves. 

Fair enough. I guess my follow-up would be what was your favorite moment from the documentary that you were excited to have the world to see? 

MC: I think the type of footage backstage that, like, even my kids found out about me that they didn’t know. My friends probably thought they’d seen every picture of Estevan’s and they’d seen everything, [but] they hadn’t seen that footage. And one of the crazy parts to watch for me, too, was the part when Kobe came out. You know, it’s like fucking tragedy, you know. Tragedy in American royalty you know, in a way. It’s real personal to us and we’ve been sitting on that footage. It’s so hard with the days of social media where everybody just leaks everything, and you know what they ate and where they went on vacation, and that they bought a new house and all this s***. It’s important for us and that we drop this and didn’t tell anybody about Kobe, didn’t tell anyone about Em, like these newer interviews. We wanted to surprise people so it worked out good. 

When did the interview take place with Kobe? 

EO: That was about, I’d say, six months ago. What do you say, Toon?

MC: Yeah, around six months. It feels so recent, man, it goes by so fast. 

Damn. 

EO: Maybe it was eight months ago, cause he’s already passed away for a few months. 

Mr. Cartoon, you tattooed a Kobe Bryant piece and Estevan, you caught that iconic picture of Nipsey Hussle. Can you guys talk to me about what those respective pieces mean to you? What resonated with you the most about working with these individuals? 

EO: The fact that I even got to work with them is what resonates with me the most. The fact that I got to be in their presence and not only hear about them or read about ‘em but see them in person. Like, when you’re sitting there talking to Kobe, you’re kind of frozen. You’re kind of like, wow, you know. You feel the difference when you’re interviewing somebody that’s been interviewed thousands of times as opposed to someone who’s new at it. Every question, he hit us right on the head with the perfect answer and then he was just, you know, he was just dropping wisdom about success and everything else. And you’re like, man, this guy is like — you want to sit there for an hour and get like, a free motivational speech from Kobe. But you know, we got in there, we got our 20 minutes with him, and he said everything we wanted him to say. With Nipsey, I shot Nipsey in 2008. So, that was before he had come out with his first album when he had gotten his first record deal. I shot him for Rime Magazine, then I shot him for XXL, then I shot him for a foreign publication but the next thing was going to be his first album cover, and his deal didn’t go through. Something happened within him and the label, and we never got to do that but you know, I was fortunate to get a couple good early on photoshoots with him and hang out with him and see who he was. ‘Cause the way me and Toon think is pretty much right along the lines of the way he was thinking when he was doing his thing. It wasn’t about, you know, let’s get famous, let’s get rich, and buy a bunch of stuff for myself. It was like, let me use this platform to do something for my people, my community and my culture. And, to me he took that to the limit, you know. He went all out in the end. He signed a lot of people. He put a lot of people on. He bought property in his neighborhood. He opened his own business. He helped his homies open their own businesses within that property that he bought. To me, that’s like the ultimate good feeling to have. [When] you’re uplifting and empowering your community and then when that spreads out into the world the way it did. It can’t get no better than that. 

Definitely, is there anything you’d want to add to that Mr. Cartoon?

MC: These are guys, you know, we look up to. And you know, Nipsey’s younger but he had that old school soul. He grew up in a real hard neighborhood, so he had to grow up fast. But, just being able to talk to Kobe. Being around all those guys is just really inspiring. You just see that they’re human beings, but they just got that extra aura. They got some type of like — I guess any time you meet pro-athletes, man, they kind of look like they’re ready to spring up off the ground, you know? They’re like the closest to superheroes that we got. So, it’s an honor to work with those types of guys. 

Estevan, you were mentioning the parallels between what Nipsey did and what you guys do for the Chicano community. In these times of Trump, how important is it for Chicano artwork to be visible to the public eye?

MC: It’s really important for us. Like, Estevan and I, we did Anthony Bourdain’s [show] right before he passed away and he asked us a similar question. It was, you know, I was just able to say, well, you know, we had a great four years with Obama, you know what I mean? And even if he wasn’t a perfect man, he looked like it. He acted like it, you know what I’m saying? And now we have the orange racist in there. It sheds a big light on how a lot of people see us. Even some Latinos, family members I have, support this guy. I don’t know how anybody can look at him speak, step back, and be like, “yeah, that guy is the leader of our country.” I mean, he can’t even string a sentence together properly. You should have to take some type of high school entry history exam to become the president. Like, if you want to become a lawyer, you gotta do the Bar and it’s so hard. You can’t have the mouthpiece of a used car salesman, the best bullshitter in New York City, and be president. It’s disgusting. But, it’s important that we’re out there. When our president is calling our ancestors rapists. He’s calling our people rapists, right? It’s important that we stand up, like we’ve always done before this dude showed up as the president, and just help the community. We do free outreaches to the kids on how to become artists. We never charge for that shit. We never even post it. It’s just what we do. It balances out all that weirdo s*** and I’m not going to let that get into the way of what we do. 

EO: It’s very important. Because all he has to say is negative stuff, you know? So it’s important for somebody to have something positive out there for our community and our culture because this is something that’s happening on the ground on a daily basis, you know? The fact that we get to battle that with our artwork and using that as our voice. I’ve been out there when they’ve done those protests in the streets. I photograph all that. And it gets pretty heavy out there. There’s a lot of tension when you’re out there on both sides. And then, when the cops come, it gets pretty crazy. This is kind of like us doing that but without really going out there and getting maced by the cops and all that kind of s***. It’s kind of like a positive way to put our people and our community out there without getting zip-tied by the police and maced and shit like that. 

I wanted to bounce off of something Cartoon was saying earlier about hosting these workshops for kids in your neighborhoods. I know LA Originals starts off with your childhoods and how you guys developed your skills. How have your skills and talents have transcended generationally with your kids?

MC: Yeah, my kids grew up in an artistic household — classic soul music, classic rock, Mariachis, you know, my wife plays a lot of that. They’re all artistic in their own way. My son, little Estevan. He’s a carbon copy of me. He wants to do everything that I do. My girls, not so much. They like music, guitar. They can both draw but they don’t have the same fever my boy has but he’s a little bit older too. They’re all gonna shine in their own way, of course. I kind of make ‘em draw. I make ‘em sit there and do letters and s*** so that by the time they leave here, they’ll at least know how to write Script, Old English and they’ll know the basics. But hopefully, they carry this thing on. And you know, just seeing Estevan’s kids grow up, each one of them has their own thinI. It’s good to see these kids grow up in such a cool atmosphere and options to do whatever they want to do. 

Yeah definitely. Estevan, I know you mentioned in the documentary that you actually got introduced to photography through your father who is also a photographer. How have your kids carried on the legacy? 

EO: My son, he’s a sports type. He knows everything about sports that you could imagine. I could ask him about any player and how they do in their field and he knows. He’ll tell you the statistics, the games, and like, how many bats has he shot, how many touchdowns. He’s on it with that. So, to me, I look at that as kind of an art form. It’s in that same mindset. Like when you set goals and you go after them to achieve them. Depending on the level you take it to, that’s what I see as an art form. Like, you see a great athlete doing their sport, it looks like art. So for me, I feel like his art form is the whole sports world. I have one daughter she’s in school and the other one she just goes day by day on her daily life. I have another daughter who has kids and works in an office so they all do different things. They all took what we taught them and went in a different direction but nobody really sat down and is like you know, I’m gonna draw everyday or I’m gonna photograph every day.

For me, I didn’t even wanna do it either. I picked up the camera and was embarrassed to take pictures because I thought it was kind of goofy. The people that were taking pictures back then, if they weren’t all the way professional, it was like paparazzi and tourists. That’s what I thought were taking pictures — either the pros or the goofy tourists with the straw hats and glasses with the black socks or black penny loafers and plaid shorts out there. Or the paparazzi chasing people and running up in their face and being disrespectful of people’s lives to get a good picture so they can get a quick buck. That was kind of how I saw photography. For me, at first, I just was taking pictures here and there, little by little. And as people started responding to my pictures in a good way, that’s when I decided maybe I’m onto something and maybe I should take it more seriously and I did. I started doing magazines, art shows. Me and Cartoon did our first art show in Tokyo. A photo agent over there from a company called August organized an art show in Tokyo in an area called Roppongi. We had our first art show over there in 1997. For us, that was like crazy. Like, one, to do our first art show and to have it in Tokyo. That was mind boggling for us. And then we came home and did our second one at this place called George’s Gallery. That was co-owned by the Beastie Boys in East Hollywood. That was kind of how we started. It wasn’t in a traditional way but we felt like that was the direction to go into. Like, using our art to get into magazines and do art shows and go in that direction. Whereas a lot of people didn’t really go into that direction with photography back then like that. But we kind of thought we wanted to do it a little differently and do something that fit in our lane. 

Estevan Oriol/Getty Images

One thing that really stood out to me in the documentary was when you guys were talking about your friends who have passed away. In tattoo culture, a lot of people ink their friends or get portraits. But, Estevan for you, it’s like you’re immortalizing these moments when you go to these neighborhoods and photograph these people. Can you guys talk to me about that?

EO: Yeah, it’s kind of a given. They say in this lifestyle there’s kind of like three places you’ll end up — it’s jails, institutions or death. So, going into that environment and knowing that in the back of your head, you kind of are thinking like, yeah, I might take a picture of this guy and he might be in prison the next week or he might be in a rehab or killed. So it’s kind of like, you gotta go in there just thinking you’re just gonna take a picture. After that is when it’s when you start thinking, “Oh, that guy’s a hothead. Or he’s on a good one.” Or something like that. Or “he might not make it to next week.” And that’s what happens to some of the people. They end up passing away or getting life in prison or something like that. And you have photos of a time in their life that bring good memories to their families, which is a cool feeling. I always post people that have passed away and I put up, “RIP to my homie Trigs” or Spanky or these other guys. Their family and friends always comment and are in the DMs saying, “thank you man for never forgetting my loved one or my friend” or “thank you for keeping their name alive.” I think that’s one thing that’s important, they want to be remembered. A lot of people that I talk to, I’ve had friends that say, “Aye if something happens to me, just don’t let my daughter ever forget about me. Just keep me and my memory in my daughter’s life.” And you’re like, yeah, no problem. In the moment, you’re thinking, “Man, shut up Julio. You’re tripping nothing’s gonna happen to you.” Then when they pass away you’re like, “Damn, now I have that obligation because I gave my word.” Every time I talk to certain people’s kids, I’m like, “your dad was like this or your dad was like that.” Or tell them a good story about their family member or their friend to keep their legacy alive in their life. 

Cartoon, if you could elaborate on what Estevan said.

MC: I’ll do like a back piece for my friend and you know, one of my buddies, he OD’d and they take your artwork into the box, you know what I’m saying? It lasts longer. They might have some jewelry on, they might have some other things — clothes or something to ‘em. But it’s a trip that your actual artwork is going to go back into the earth. And you know, sometimes, Estevan captures these guys so we have their picture. It’s a little bit of our way of, kind of, putting our flag into the ground, you know what I mean? Kind of just saying “we were here.” This is tribal for us. Kind of like an Aztec Warrior carving on the side of a pyramid, you know? It’s our way of leaving our mark. We were a part of something. We added to our community. We love our community and we just draw this way and he shoots this culture and he shoots a certain way. So we’re not just that, cause we like other s*** like we like foreign movies. People would never picture me and Estevan in like a Bali, Indian restaurant ordering butter chicken. We might be in some crazy Thai restaurant in Thai town or we might be in East LA in a crazy taco spot. It’s having an open mind, it’s accepting all good things. All things that are quality in detail. To be able to go to other parts of the world, represent where you came from but also respect and take in people from other lands, other tattoo cultures, other car cultures, other people that are sickos like us you know what I mean? We’re everywhere. That’s one thing about being tattooed is your kinship with everyone else that has tattoos all over the world. We’re renegades in a way where we’re members of a society that is underground like for cars lowered. We used to be looked at as riff-raffs and low-lives and drug addicts. Now, it looks like NBA stars and professional artists that are in contemporary art museums. So it’s come a long way, you know? We did that art show in Tokyo that Estevan was talking about. We thought that was it. We made it. We got our lowrider art in a gallery in Harajuku. Can’t be better than that. And for that time, we maxed that time out. I don’t know anybody’s that’s done it since the way we’ve done it — out there at least. But we’re barely getting started, man. Me and E we’re fired up. We’re ready to take over the world, man. We’re ready to put our flag at the North Pole. We been to the South Pole now we’re going to the top so that’s it. We love to do it. 

That’s what’s up. Thank you guys so much, it has been an honor speaking to you legends. 

EO: Thank you, bro. 

MC: Appreciate you, man. 

Lauren London took to Instagram on Mother’s Day to write a beautiful message about her two sons, Kameron Carter and Kross Asghedom. The mother of two rarely shares photos of either of her children, but she made an exception for the special holiday in order to express just how important her two babies are in her life.

“The absolute Honor of being their Mother,” Lauren wrote on the black-and-white photo of 10-year-old Kameron carrying 3-year-old Kross. “This Love has saved me. Peace to all the mommas. Happy Mother’s Day.” Back in February, she shared another adorable photo of the two brothers standing on stage, with the caption, “Pure.”

Lauren welcomed Kameron with ex-boyfriend, Lil Wayne, on September 9th, 2009. Seven years later, she and her late partner, Nipsey Hussle, welcomed Kross on August 31st, 2016. Unfortunately, Kross lost his father at just 2 years old last March.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images For All Money In Records and Atlantic Records

Lauren paid tribute to her slain partner on the anniversary of his death earlier this year. “I didn’t think I was going to survive a second of any of this,” she wrote in a beautiful poem dedicated to Nipsey. “Prayers have kept me together/The kids keep me going and/Gods Grace and Mercy have carried me this far.” RIP to Nipsey and Happy Mother’s Day to Lauren and all the wonderful mothers out there.

Nipsey Hussle tragically lost his life after a shooting in Los Angeles last year and his alleged shooter, Eric Holder, has been in police custody since then. Holder was expected to go on trial last month for the murder but, because of COVID-19 related delays, it has been pushed back.

According to Vibe, the trial has officially been moved to next month after stay-at-home orders were placed in the city of Los Angeles. His next hearing is set to take place on June 8.

The 30-year-old was previously informed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry that he would retain his right to a speedy trial but, because of unforeseen circumstances, things have been delayed. Of course, everything has pretty much been placed on hold for the time being as we fight to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 

Patrick Fallon-Pool/Getty Images

The report notes that all courtrooms in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and other cities in Southern California, have been temporarily closed since March. California’s shelter-in-place order is expected to be lifted this month though, so the trial should be good to continue in June.

Holder is facing one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. He previously entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. 

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In just under three hours, Tekashi 6ix9ine will be making his grand re-introduction to the world. For the last two years, he has been known as a snitch, exposing the inner workings of the Nine Trey Bloods gang that he was once a part of. He was released from prison early due to COVID-19 concerns and, today, he will be returning to the music world with a new single, music video, and Instagram Live session. It all kicks off at 3 PM EST.

Before that begins, one of his most outspoken critics, Meek Mill, has just addressed the situation, taking to Twitter and calling out the rainbow-haired rapper.

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

"I hope that rat going live to apologize to the people he told on or the victim," writes Meek Mill, refusing to refer to 6ix9ine by name. "Y’all forgot that fast a 'rat' killed nipsey he wasn’t suppose to be on the streets! That’s the only thing ima day because he’s dead... left his baby mom and child like a coward as targets!"

Clearly, Meek is still not rocking with Tekashi. Bringing Eric Holder, Nipsey Hussle's alleged killer and an accused snitch, into it was necessary in the eyes of the Philadelphia rapper.

Will you be supporting 6ix9ine's new release or are you avoiding it by all means?

It’s been a little over one year since Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot in Los Angeles and those who admired him continue to mourn his loss. It’s reported that the trial of Eric Holder, the man accused of shooting and killing Nipsey Hussle on March 31, 2019, will soon arrive. The trial is expected to take over airwaves and social media, but until those days come, Lauren London continues to be the vessel that shares wisdom from the love of her life.

Millions have been inspired by Nipsey’s work ethic, community building, and words of wisdom. Lauren London took to Instagram earlier today to revisit a message that Nipsey previously shared on Instagram that spoke directly to people wasting their time arguing with one another online. According to Nipsey Hussle, their talents and skills can be used elsewhere, specifically toward building their own empires that can help those around them.

“Message to u Twitter bangers: All that dissing tha hood and playin internet games aint doin Nothin for y’all rep,” the late rapper wrote in a caption. “Get some money. Put yo family in positions. Put yo homies in position. And then come bac around as evidence that these Yung n*ggas under you can do the same.” Check out the Instagram post below and let us know if you think Nipsey Hussle was speaking truths.