Nipsey Hussle Honored, Darden Blasted For Repping Alleged Killer

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles City Council is expected to adjourn its regular meeting Friday in honor of slain rapper Nipsey Hussle, and Councilman Marqueece Harris Dawson is expected to introduce a motion to rename the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard as "Ermias `Nipsey Hussle' Asghedom Square."

The 33-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper -- whose real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom -- was fatally shot March 31 in front of The Marathon Clothing store. He was honored during a Staples Center memorial on Thursday featuring a performance by Stevie Wonder and remarks from rapper Snoop Dogg, followed by a procession through South Los Angeles.

A private burial is planned Friday at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, the Glendale Police Department announced. The service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Last week, 29-year-old Eric Ronald Holder Jr., an aspiring rapper and acquaintance of Hussle, pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder and possession of a firearm by a felon, along with two counts of attempted murder.

Holder is represented by attorney Christopher Darden, who was a prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Since accepting the Holder case. Darden has been on the receiving end of numerous threats, the Blast website reported.

According to Blast's sources, Darden has received threatening messages on social media.

"Shame on you for taking on the Nipsey Killer's case," said one. "You doing the entire culture a disservice.*

Darden's daughter, Jenee, went on social media earlier this week to say she was "receiving vile comments and messages" since her father took the job.

"Like many of you," she wrote, "I found out about my father's involvement in the case while scrolling through social media. I was not prepared for this backlash that has triggered bad memories from the O.J. Simpson trial." She added in a reference to her father that she has "no say in the cases he takes on."

Hussle transformed himself from a South Los Angeles gang member to a rap musician and channeled his success into efforts to help others stay out of gangs. He bought shoes for students, re-paved basketball courts and provided jobs and shelter for the homeless.

Hussle helped renovate a Mid-City roller rink and redeveloped the strip mall that housed his Marathon Clothing shop where he was fatally wounded after an argument with Holder. The subject has not been disclosed.

City News Service