1. “Racks in the Middle (feat. Roddy Ricch + Hit-Boy)”

Nipsey Hussle

I hope I’m not betraying the trust of my friends by writing this, but a number of us brought in 2019 together, openly interrogating Nipsey’s career to date. Someone I consider a sister often paints portraits of her favorite artists and delivers them as gifts should they come to town to perform; most of these exchanges go off without a hitch, but she shared that Nipsey couldn’t be bothered. Beyond that personal anecdote, I’ll be frank that I found his $100 Crenshaw idea at best overambitious and at worst pretentious, a peculiar move for a guy trying to expand his fanbase, I think? I respected the defiance behind the decision-making, Nipsey making it clear that he’d be a rapper on his terms alone. But getting to understand the method behind the madness seemed like such a chore. It seemed that Nip did want to be a leader but actively went out of his way to turn folks away from the movement.

Which is why it was certainly noticeable when Nipsey began leaning into his celebrity at the top of the year, recording a series of charming online vignettes with his partner Lauren London to accompany their February 2019 GQ spread. Nip obviously still wasn’t comfortable with these exercises — you can see in the Couples Quiz video that he’s way too gangster for any of this — but I was most impressed with the fact he’d even tried. We can thank Lauren for that, as she, according to that GQ article, opened Nipsey up to the idea of expanding his audience. Only makes sense he kept her directly by his side for the most vulnerable parts.

It’s never not eerie hearing musicians eulogize themselves. But if this is Nipsey’s last solo effort, I pray it stands the tests of time, a contender for song of the year regardless of the tragedy surrounding it. Triumphant yet grateful, Nip allowed a brief, rare moment to enjoy the fruits of his labor, decking his grandma out in a Puma sweatsuit and bringing her aboard his private jet to enjoy a glass of champagne as visual representation of the generational change he’s providing, even after death. I hate it that Nipsey Hussle died so young. I hate that he died at his happiest even more.