It’s been one year since rapper Nipsey Hussle was tragically taken away from us and the lingering effects are still felt. With his prodigious views on life, the wold, his community, work ethic, gang violence, and education, Nip’ was a stand-out character in the hip-hop community.. Bringing different groups together and creating opportunities for others seemed to almost come second-nature to him. Putting his ideas into fruition, and openly practicing the activism preached in his songs, Nipsey words are held onto dear in these trying times. “Racks In The Middle” is one of Nip’s most insightful tracks and was his last single released, released six weeks before his passing.
Produced by the legendary Hit-Boy (Niggas In Paris, Flawless, Backseat Freestyle) and featuring close friend/rising-star Roddy Ricch, “Racks In The Middle” was Nipsey’s highest charting song and is a carefully refined track that gives the listeners the best everyone has to offer. A little of Hit-Boy’s clean and precise production, and the first line of the hook intros the song before the speakers rattle with the slap of the dirty bass mixed with Roddy’s infectious chorus.
The eight bars he delivers sets the mood for the track before getting ready for Nipsey’s verse. Throughout Nip’s raps he touches on his previous gang life, buisness ventures, lost friends and the overwhelming feeling of he has gotten to make his family proud. But he also talks to the listener. Directly “If it was me, I would tell you ‘Nigga, Live your life and grow’” // “I’d tell you, ‘Finish what we started, reach them heights, you know?’” Trying to inlay his wisdom to those who would be looking to him for guidance, Nip seems to somehow know his time is coming.
Reminding me of Tupac in a multitude of different ways, Pac was also one to speak to listeners and gave the presence that he knew his fans would need his insight long after he was gone. Nas raps on “We Will Survive” about Tupac, “How did you know though your rhymes it was time to go? // You predicted it in every line, all in your flow.” It’s something that has resinated with me since first hearing the track and I feel that Nipsey was also following the same path. It’s not too farfetched to think that with all of Nipsey’s success, people in from his past or oppositional characters would be looking to get at him and maybe Nip understood this better than anyone.
Though the sadness of losing a great will be felt for long time to come, the music video is a small gleam of light keeping the torch of The Marathon running. You get to see Nipsey at the top, clad in his own brands clothes, neck covered in diamonds, his v-12’s, private jets, toasting champagne with his grandmother and surrounded by friends and loved ones, it’s one of the best ways to remember his legacy.
“It was one of the highlights of my career–, highlights of my life, fuck a career” Tells Roddy Ricch during his breakfast club interview. “Just being able to share that moment with L.A., Compton, Long Beach, where I’m from, and just be able to share that moment with him. I remember we was shooting the video, we was on the rooftop, he ain’t have no shirt on, and I ain’t have no jacket on, so we was freezing like a muthafucka. Haha. Out there shivering! I’m like ‘Cuz, it’s cold! But we was still like, ‘Thank you for doing this.’ ‘Cuz we were just up there thuggin.”
About Author
