I’m prolific, so gifted. I’m the type that’s gon’ go get it
No kidding, breaking down a swisher front of yo building
Sitting on the steps feeling no feelings
Last night it was cold killing
You gotta keep the devil in his hole n****.”
CHILLS. No matter how many times I hear the opening lines of Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap, I still get them. No bullshit. Stacy Barthe’s harmonizations on the intro may seem haunting in hindsight, but it’s not a frightful haunt. Those tones are a war cry to stand and watch the greatness before you. And, my God, was Nip great. “Victory Lap,” the opening song – much like the rest of the album – is littered with jewelry in the form of music. I could give you 50 quotables from this one, nah mean, and I just might. Nah mean?
Listening to music at the Mayan Ruins
True devotion on the bluest ocean, cruisin’
My cultural influence even rival Lucien
I’m integrated vertically, y’all n***** blew it
They tell me, “Hussle, dumb it down, you might confuse ’em”
This ain’t that weirdo rap you motherfuckers used to
First and foremost, I miss Nipsey Hussle. As a Black man in America, gun violence is something you become unfortunately numb to. In this case, I was deeply affected by the loss. Nip and I were the same age at the time of his demise in 2019 and I’ve been a fan since I heard his second mixtape, Bullets Ain’t Got No Name Vol. 1. I still can’t understand him being gone. We are not here for somberness though, Nip wouldn’t want that. We are going to remember that brother how he lived; with power.
When Victory Lap came out in 2018, I didn’t know I was a writer yet and had no medium to explain how prolific it was. I can now tell you that Nip was nothing like you, track 2 “Rap N*****.” NOTHING. When it dropped, I played this joint so loud rolling on I-10 that I think I blew both my speakers. We could take his greatness back to charging $100 per mixtape. With Nip, it was always a mission and that was the marathon. Victory Lap is a manuscript of old-school Los Angeles parables on survival and maintenance. After years of filling my tape deck with music to dream to, his debut album for LA Urban Legend was worth the wait.
“Young N****” is an audio documentary that transcends into a visual of the roads less taken that yield high rewards. Nip tells a story about his older brother burying “funds” in the backyard only to them dig up later and find $100k gone due to mold. The ingenuity it takes to recover from something like this is different. Thus the emergence of the marathon. The lyrics on the majority of these songs could be taken off an instrumental and sold as an audiobook. The theme of the album, in my opinion, is always striving for evolution/elevation. It’s about never, no matter how bleak your situation, letting a hard time humble you.
I flashback on that shootout at the beach, twenty deep
You tried to squeeze, your gun jammed and they released
Blood on your tee, ahow many stains? I see three
The b*** started to panic, so I made her switch seats
Drivin’ now, police chopper, hear it flyin’ now
Really not too spooked, calmly asked me, “Am I dyin’ now?”
Even with my own evolution, I can’t listen to “Blue Laces 2” after Nip’s passing. I can’t. The opening line to the third verse (above) is a little too eerie for me. The follow-up to the OG “Blue Laces,” this track is a beautiful compilation of gang-banger opulence, picking up where the first one left off. When I think about songs like “Blue Laces 2” and “Status Symbol 3,” the reality check that I’ll never get another is akin to getting punched by 90s Mike Tyson in the face.
You could let the instrumental to “Hussle & Motivate” roll off about 20 more seconds if need be. Nip had a real distinct voice. You can hear the passion and seriousness in his tone. He used gravitas with energy. Reminds me of a 2Pac quote, “Mercy for the weak, when I speak I scream, afraid to sleep I’m having crazy dreams”. Nip, much like Pac, was not yelling, but the urgency in the message is fully evident.
Make no mistake, Victory Lap is perfect, down to the prescient title. However, whatever happened between tracks 11-16 fully cemented the album for me. Aye, bruh, “Million While You Young?” I could go in-depth about the verses, but for me, the chorus is the flag in the sand. Nip was like, I’m here, this is all me. Then, “Loaded Bases:”
Look, I was sittin’ on my Lincoln, I start thinkin’
N*** ain’t gon’ make a hundred mil’ off in these streets and
More than likely, I’m gon’ end up in somebody’s-precinct, even worse
The horse and carriage front the church, laid off in a hearse
I dealt with it, I ain’t just out here for my health with it
The last four songs of the album bring a tear to my eye. The way my dawg floated on “Loaded Bases” was unrivaled. I was rapping that shit so loud and proud like that was my homeboy for real. This could be because of the parallels between his section and my section. I wasn’t into the streets, but it still feels like at times I’m not supposed to be here, and I came out the other side. I got the scars and the bruises. I wasn’t unscathed, but that’s how I made my way “home.” Anyway, CeeLo did only things he could do with his unique voice. Shit touches your soul.
I can’t properly untangle “Real Big.” I’m just gonna be honest with you, every time I hear the song it reminds me of Nip’s funeral at the Staples Center. And while “Real Big” is truly beautiful and motivational, seeing Marsha Ambrosius singing to my man’s casket was not something I was prepared for. But, shit man, he did it really big, Nip ain’t lie. Even in death, the marathon is not life adjacent.
How the fuck you gon’ reach him? He makin’ more than his teachers
Movin’ forward with speed, all your morals’ll leave
Only focus is cheese, now the forest is trees
Got infected with greed, distort what you see
Your worst nightmare to need is justify your means
Hold up
Look how my son ended the album, bruh. “Right Hand To God” truly sounds like a real one’s last will and testament. Not saying Nip knew it would end this way, saying that regardless of whatever was happening, his I’s were already dotted and his T’s crossed. He’s telling us that from the perspective of everything he’s rapping – he’s already done, but still came back around to motivate the rest. In life, you’ll learn faith without work is a pipe dream. You can pray as much as you’d like, but if no action is behind those words, God treats it like you’re blowing smoke. In his 35 short years on earth, Nip had so much action behind his words. If “Right Hand To God” is the last audio recording we get, I just want him to know it’s duly noted.
Cardi B won Rap Album of the Year in 2019, and I salute her. My pick will always be Victory Lap. Nip didn’t end up winning, but his major label debut resulted in a Grammy nod. That’s fire. I refuse to end this on a melancholy note, so I’ll say Nipsey Hussle didn’t deserve the way he left and even went out doing a solid. That kind of seasoning you can’t find in everyone. I’m still rocking my marathon gear, taking my victory laps, and ain’t nothing changes but your physical address. Gone but not forgotten, we still feel ya. RIP Nip Hussle The Great!
