Nipsey Hussle, shot dead in LA, once played Sacramento show that sparked debate about rap acts

Four years before rapper Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot Sunday in his hometown of Los Angeles, a chaotic scene broke out involving gunfire and a person jumping on police cars as the crowd left one of his shows in Sacramento. Police did not link Hussle to the shooting, but the incident sparked a local debate about hip hop concerts.

The rapper, born Ermias Asghedom, performed at Ace of Spades on Feb. 20, 2015. Police were already near the venue when guests poured out onto R Street about 11:20 p.m. and shots were fired, The Bee reported at the time.

Four people were hospitalized, though none sustained life-threatening injuries, and law enforcement officials said the following day it appeared there may have been “a few people” doing the shooting. Police recovered one gun and several rounds at the scene, The Bee reported in 2015.

Police were in the process of chasing a person “jumping on one of our patrol cars” when the shooting started, Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Michele Gigante said at the time.

Authorities did not link Hussle to the 2015 shooting. But backlash came swiftly via public opinion: Days after the shooting, with some calling for rap acts to be banned from Ace of Spades, the club’s owners called off a weekend rap show. They told The Bee at the time that they felt pressured to do so.

Asghedom, 33, died Sunday and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries after being shot. The hip-hop artist was shot multiple times outside of Marathon Clothing, a store he opened in 2017, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to reports by multiple news outlets.

Photos and videos of the shooting’s immediate aftermath were posted to social media. No arrests had been made or suspect descriptions released by authorities as of Monday morning.

NBC News reported the Grammy-nominated rapper has been associated with the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips in Los Angeles, where he was born. Asghedom said in media interviews that he grew up in “gang culture,” and he tweeted the same day he was killed: “Having strong enemies is a blessing.”

Asghedom was also a well-known and respected community activist in Los Angeles. LAPD Commissioner Steve Soboroff said on Twitter on Sunday he had a meeting scheduled for Monday with Asghedom “to talk about ways he could help stop gang violence and help us help kids.”

This headline and story has been updated.

This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 10:22 AM.