Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom is the only brother of the late Nipsey Hussle. The rapper also has a sister named Samantha Smith.
On Sunday, March 31, Nipsey Hussle, 33, was shot multiple times in Los Angeles. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The suspect, named by police as Eric Holder, was taken into custody on April 2.
Sam and Nipsey were extremely close and were the best of friends. In 2017, they went into business together, opening The Marathon Clothing not too far from where they grew up in Los Angeles.
On Sunday afternoon, just before 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, police say that a male, believed to be in his 20s, walked up to Nipsey Hussle in the parking lot of The Marathon Clothing, and fired off multiple shots.
In surveillance footage obtained by TMZ, a man is seen walking toward The Marathon Clothing. Sources told TMZ that the suspect had a “tense” conversation with Nipsey before he left to get a gun, only to return a short time later and open fire. Details about the alleged conversation are unclear. Witnesses told TMZ that the suspect asked Nipsey if he had “snitched to cops.” Other witnesses day that Nipsey simply asked the suspect to leave the store.
In the video, the suspect is seen shooting Nipsey once, walking away, and then returning to shoot him again. The suspect is seen doing this one more time before fleeing the scene.
Nipsey Hussle died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso, according to the LA County Medical Coroner.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He’s Been Arrested at Least Twice & Rumors Circulated That His Brother Bailed Him out of Jail Last Year
Blacc Sam has been a huge supporter of his brother over the years. However, an incident a few years ago saw Blacc Sam arrested.
According to Hot New HipHop, Hussle got into an argument with his former manager, Eugene “Big U” Henley, in 2011 and Blacc Sam stepped in to defend his sibling.
“This evening the two men got into [a] physical altercation near the alley at the rear of the Shell gas station at Crenshaw and Slauson in Hyde Park. According to eyewitnesses, Nipsey’s brother, Samiel Asghedom pulled out a gun to defend his brother and fired into the air to end the conflict. That’s when an LAPD officer arrived on the scene and fired at the brother, missing him,” the outlet reported.
There have also been reports that Blacc Sam was in jail in 2018, though it’s unclear why. There were rumors that Hussle paid $1 million bond for his brother, but Hussle denied those rumors.
“Sam bailed himself out. Putsomerespectonhisname,” he wrote, presumably on Twitter, according to the Atlanta Black Star.
2. He Co-Owns The Marathon Clothing With Nipsey Hussle
In 2017, Blacc Sam joined forces with Nipsey Hussle and opened The Marathon Clothing, a clothing store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Blacc Sam and his brother held a huge grand opening event for the store on June 17, 2017. Not only did friends and family come out to support, but fans were lined up outside as well. The brothers had the support of several big names in the entertainment industry, including 21 Savage, Russell Westbrook, Vegas Jones, and Demarcus Cousins.
“The flagship store has all kinds of futuristic features, including programmable technology built into the store’s design along with products for exclusive Nipsey releases. Customers can download a special app that will help them activate special features when they purchase a particular item in the store,” XXL Magazine reported at the time.
The store carries a variety of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and other products, most with the word “Crenshaw” written on them as a nod to the area where the Asghedom brothers grew up.
Additionally, Blacc Sam is listed as the owner of the Margaret Boutte Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization. There does not appear to be an active website for the organization, however.
According to his IMDb page, Sam starred in 10 Rings with Nipsey Hussle, a documentary that was released last year.
3. He Traveled to His Dad’s Home Land of Eritrea in 2004 & in 2018
Blacc Sam is of African descent. His mom is African American and his dad was born and raised in Eritrea, located on the Red Sea coast of Africa. Although Sam and Nipsey were born in the U.S., they have been very proud of their roots. In fact, they both traveled to Africa to see their dad’s homeland in 2004 and again in 2018.
“With his brother Samiel and their dad, Hussle met the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and sat down with the Ministry of Information’s website for a wide-ranging interview about his life and experiences growing up in Los Angeles in a culture of gang violence,” CNN reports.
Hussle opened up about the experience in an interview with Complex back in 2010.
“It was A1. At first, I experienced culture shock. The shit that we rely on day-to-day out here, your cell phone, Internet, e-mail, and your females, [laughs] and your daily movement, it’s all cut off once you get out there. It’s more about the interaction with people,” he told the outlet.
4. He Was the Inspiration for the Song ‘Young N****s’ on ‘Victory Lap’
In February 2018, Nipsey told NPR about how his brother inspired one of the tracks on the album, Victory Lap.
Hussle says that one part of the song is based on an incident in which Blacc Sam buried a quarter of a million dollars in their mother’s backyard.
“He left it there for a year and when he went to go dig it up a little bit more than half of it had molded,” Hussle says.
The rapper says his brother wrapped the money in plastic and put it in a safe and buried it, despite all of those efforts, the money still got molded. Nipsey says Blacc Sam “lost his s***” when he dug it up. The story continues with Hussle saying his entire family attempted to clean the mold off of the money but that money kept ripping.
“And I just remember us in the living room with a blow dryer, blow-drying all the money and trying to salvage as much as we could,” Hussle adds.
5. He Hasn’t Spoken out About His Brother’s Death
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Blacc Sam has not spoken out about his brother’s death or released a statement of any kind. Social media users have been sending thoughts and prayers to the family, especially to Blacc Sam, as they know just how close he and his brother were.
You can see some of the tweets below.
The whole world just shifted behind Nips Death smh I know blacc Sam and the guys going thru it the whole family
My heart hurts for blacc Sam… I couldn’t imagine losing my little brother
Hope Blacc Sam alright… I know he’ll keep the movement going and ima keep on supporting
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