LOS ANGELES _ The last time Nipsey Hussle was at Staples Center, he was headlining the BET Experience concert in June. On Thursday, the slain rapper's image _ bathed in an indigo blue _ was projected on a screen inside the venue as thousands of fans arrived to celebrate his life.
Lights inside were dimmed as tracks from Hussle's album "Victory Lap" played. Fans _ some dressed in blue and others wearing shirts from Hussle's clothing brand with "Crenshaw" scribbled on the front _ slowly filled the cavernous space.
Many had arrived early to stand in a line that snaked around Staples Center waiting to honor the man, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, who was gunned down in broad daylight outside of his clothing store on Slauson Avenue in Los Angeles on March 31.
Maurice Lopez, who first met Hussle years ago, donned a white T-shirt emblazoned with the profile of the rapper wearing a crown of thorns.
"He meant a lot though, man. This hurt a lot of people," Lopez said as he stood outside Staples Center. "I just came all the way from Vegas to show my respect and, you know, give some love to his family."
Lopez said Hussle's death "was like Tupac (Shakur) all over again," referring to the rap artist shot to death in Las Vegas in 1996.
Hussle, a 33-year-old Grammy-nominated recording artist, channeled lessons from his early years and his time spent as a gang member into music that sent a powerful message. He was beloved among South L.A. residents for devoting his energy and resources to helping those in his community.
Grammy award-winning R&B recording artist Anthony Hamilton and singers Marsha Ambrosius and Jhene Aiko will perform in Hussle's honor during the memorial. Rapper Snoop Dogg and popular Los Angeles radio personality Big Boy are expected to speak during the service, which will be livestreamed on the web for fans across the globe to watch.
The only other time the 21,000-seat venue was used to memorialize an entertainer was in 2009, when Michael Jackson died.
Hussle's family is asking those in attendance to act respectfully, as they don't want a repeat of the violence at last week's vigil, where reports of a gunman prompted a stampede that injured 19 people.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore initially said no shots were fired at the vigil, but an affidavit by a longtime gang investigator shows evidence of a brazen attack during the crowded candlelight gathering at Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard.
The Los Angeles Police Department is pulling in officers from divisions across the city to keep a watchful but distant eye on the memorial. The police presence, according to officials, will be substantial but subtle, mostly for traffic and peacekeeping if needed.
"We will be as low-key and away as possible while maintaining public safety and safe expeditious traffic movement," LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Arcos said. "In some areas, we will be visible, but not in a manner to be in close proximity to the event."
Free tickets for the service were exhausted within minutes, and people soon began trying to scalp them online. EBay shut down one seller's attempt to make $400 off four tickets.
There will be plenty of opportunity for those who didn't get tickets to the memorial to honor Hussle, as a 25.5-mile funeral procession will take place from downtown Los Angeles through Inglewood, South L.A. and Watts.
Throughout the week, mourners have turned the area around Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard into a shrine. Visitors have been ushered into an alley sandwiched by two vibrant murals of Hussle, where they have taken photos, kneeled to pray and looked up at the Grammy-nominated artist.
On Friday, Los Angeles council members will adjourn their meeting at City Hall in the memory of the slain rapper. Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson announced Tuesday that the Crenshaw Boulevard and West Slauson Avenue intersection will be named "Ermias 'Nipsey Hussle' Asghedom Square."
"He was working closely with the city to help save lives and transform lives, even as he was doing that for himself," Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference following the killing.
"He was a tireless advocate for the young people of this city and of this world, to lift them up with the possibility of not being imprisoned by where you come from or past mistakes."
