Nipsey Hussle Is The Greatest Rapper Of All Time, Says Russell Westbrook

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Russell Westbrook has named Nipsey Hussle as his personal greatest rapper of all-time, placing the late rap star ahead of cultural icons and G.O.A.T. candidates Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas and more. According to HipHopDX, the NBA star participated in a tournament-style bracket with his wife Nina Westbrook to determine the greatest rap artist in the history of the genre.

In the first matchup, Westbrook picked Hussle over Eminem to advance to the second round, where he was pitted against Nas, who Russell selected over Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco. From there, the former MVP gave the Victory Lap creator the nod over Esco in their match-up, resulting in final four showdown with Nip and Lil Wayne. Westbrook chose Weezy over 50 Cent. Dr. Dre was taken off the board when paired against Nipsey, making the final showdown between Hussle and Jay-Z.

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Hov, who Westbrook chose over Ludacris, Ice Cube, and Busta Rhymes, would fall short in the championship round against Hussle, who was declared the winner in the speed-round game. Other artists included in the bracket included Missy Elliott, Mos Def, The Notorious B.I.G., Redman, and Ghostface Killah.

Westbrook—the unrestricted free agent, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers this past season, was good friends with Hussle. Following the rapper’s tragic murder in March 2019, Westbrook famously paid tribute to his fallen friend by posting an awe-worthy 20 point, 20 rebound, 20 assist stat-line, a nod to Hussle’s allegiance to the Rollin’ 60s Crips. It marked only the second time in NBA history that a player had ever achieved such a feat. Westbrook spoke of Hussle inspiring his performance during a post-game interview with TNT.

“Grateful to play the game, but that wasn’t for me, man,” Westbrook said. “That was for my bro, man. That was for Nipsey. Rest in peace to Nipsey, man. I’m just thankful to go out there and compete at a high level, man. Thankful to have these teammates. Thankful and humbled to go out there and play the game I love.”

Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was gunned down on March 31, 2019 in South Central Los Angeles following a verbal dispute with a gang member. He was 33-years-old. The gunman, Eric Holder, was found guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Nipsey Hussle Wearing Hoodie
Nipsey Hussle performs onstage at the STAPLES Center Concert Sponsored by SPRITE during the 2018 BET Experience on June 23, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

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