On the Fifth Anniversary of Nipsey Hussle's Death, Vibe Editor Talks About the Rapper's Lasting Influence

As a founding editor at Vibe magazine, Rob Kenner got up close and personal with many hip-hop luminaries. But even after 17 years of profiling countless MCs, when Kenner first met Nipsey Hussle, he felt he was in the presence of one of the greats.

"It was 2009. He came into the Vibe office and played his mixtape. He came in and rapped over Dr. Dre's beats — that classic G Funk sound. It was so refreshing to hear him rap over 'Gin & Juice' instead of the ringtone rap we were always hearing back then," he remembers.

After that fateful meeting, Kenner kept following Nipsey Hussle's career. "I crossed paths with him a number of times as a member of the press," he adds.

In 2018, Kenner connected with Hussle again for an in-depth interview for Mass Appeal during the promotional cycle for the release of his major-label debut, Victory Lap. This time, Kenner was convinced that Nipsey was much more than the latest hip-hop flavor of the month.

"We had a great conversation," he says. "I remember thinking, This is a major person. He was a thought leader. His ideas about marketing himself and his music were visionary. I started working on something longer form on him."

Lamentably, the world will never know where Hussle's vision would have led him. On March 31, 2019, Hussle was shot and killed outside his business, Marathon Clothing, in South Central Los Angeles.
Seeing the way Nipsey's death touched so many people, Kenner re-evaluated what to do with the material he had gathered for his interview. He pivoted and spent three years writing The Marathon Don't Stop: Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle, which went on to make the New York Times Bestseller list upon release in 2021. "It was multiple drafts of writing and rewriting. I spoke to dozens of people in his circle — people in his All Money In label, family members, collaborators. There were a lot of people I spoke to that never spoke to the press before," Kenner says.

The Marathon Don't Stop focuses on the life and times of a young rapper, but Kenner said he also wanted to touch on broader topics like the histories of the United States as a whole, the city of Los Angeles, and inner-city gang culture. Ultimately, Kenner's aim for the book was to appeal to hardcore Nipsey Hussle fans while appealing to readers who had yet to discover him.

"At Vibe, we learned to make things as authentic as they need to be for the most devoted fan, but also clearly written and researched so anyone can read it," he explains.

On Tuesday, April 2, two days after the fifth anniversary of Hussle's tragic death, Kenner will stop at Books & Books Coconut Grove to discuss The Marathon Don't Stop and touch on the things he believes made Hussle so special. "He was really raw and real; he never dumbed down the music," Kenner says. "Most of his mixtapes were never properly mastered, so they sounded homemade. He never compromised so he could be a pop star."

Kenner points to the song Hussle put out with YG, politely known as "FDT," which stood for "Fuck Donald Trump," in 2016 as an example of this.

"They were the first hip-hop artists to speak out against him," he notes. "Other artists were flirting with Trump because of his lifestyle. Trump repped success, but Nipsey and YG confronted him."

It takes Kenner a while to think of which hip-hop artists before or after he'd compare Hussle to.

"Nip was one of one. He said he was the 2Pac of his generation, but I think he was his own man," he concludes. "Some people compare him to Snoop. He came out of that classic LA gangsta rap blueprint."

The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle. By Rob Kenner. Atria Books. 2021. 464 pages. Hardcover, $30. Paperback, $18.

An Evening With Rob Kenner. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at Books & Books Coconut Grove, 3409 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove; 305-477-0866; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free with RSVP at eventbrite.com.