Artists including Drake, Rihanna and J Cole have paid tribute to Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, who has been shot dead in Los Angeles.
The 33-year-old was gunned down outside his clothing shop.
Drake described him as “a man of respect and a don”, while Rihanna wrote on Twitter: “This doesn’t make any sense! My spirit is shaken by this!”
Two other people were wounded in the shooting outside Marathon Clothing in south Los Angeles.
Lt Chris Ramierez of the Los Angeles Police Department told media at the scene of the shooting that they were looking for a black male suspect.
Nipsey Hussle’s debut album Victory Lap received a nomination for best rap album at this year’s Grammy Awards, where he was nominated against Cardi B, Mac Miller, Pusha T and Travis Scott.
Writing on Instagram, Pusha called him a “rare breed” adding: “Sad to see you go Nip, I’m only finding peace in knowing you are blessed… I was honoured to share in such an amazing year with you musically.
“I would gauge everyone’s music credibility based on if they mentioned you.”
Drake, who won a Grammy on the same night and recorded the 2009 track Killer Nipsey Hussle, also took to Instagram to pay tribute.
“My whole energy is just at a low right now hearing this,” he wrote. “We just linked for the first time in years and said we were gonna do a new song this summer cause it had been too long.
“You were having the best run and I was so happy watching from distance fam nobody ever talks down on your name you were a real one to your people and to the rest of us.”
Other to pay tribute included rapper J. Cole and producer and artist Pharrell Williams.
Nipsey you a legend. I respect and admire your career path and what you did for the neighborhood. My heart broke today when I saw the news. I’m praying for your loved ones. This was sposed to be the year we got one in. God had bigger plans for you ??
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) April 1, 2019
Words can not express our sadness. Nipsey was not only one of the greatest artists we worked with but an amazing father & leader in his community. One of the kindest & brightest stars in the universe, he was inspiring to all. We will miss him, his music & everything he stood for.
— Atlantic Records (@AtlanticRecords) April 1, 2019
