The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle

by Rob Kenner

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The first biography of rap star, activist, entrepreneur and artist, Nipsey Hussle, who was murdered in South L.A. in 2019. Hussle, known for his mixtapes, eventually caught the eye of Jay-Z, record producers and others who found his talent hard to ignore. Accolades and awards followed along with riches, which Hussle plowed back into his neighborhood. He opened the Marathon Clothing store and held many outreach programs to teach and enrich the lives of the community.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

This “beautiful tribute to a legendary artist” (Quincy Jones) is the first in-depth biography of Nipsey Hussle, the hip-hop mogul, artist, and activist whose transformative legacy inspired a generation with his motivational lyrics and visionary business savvy—before he was tragically shot down in the very neighborhood he was dedicated to building up.

For Nipsey Hussle, “The Marathon” was more than a mixtape title or the name of a clothing store; it was a way of life, a metaphor for the relentless pursuit of excellence and the willpower required to overcome adversity day after day. Hussle was determined to win the race to success on his own terms, and he wanted to see his whole community in the winner’s circle with him.

A moving and powerful exploration of an extraordinary artist, The Marathon Don’t Stop places Hussle in historical context and unpacks his complex legacy. Combining on-the-ground reporting and candid interviews, “Rob Kenner has given us the book the world—and hip-hop and pop culture—has been waiting for...one that should be celebrated alongside the best biographies ever about iconic figures we have loved—and lost” (Kevin Powell, author of When We Free the World).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982140304
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	30,147
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Rob Kenner is one of the most prolific and influential voices in hip hop publishing. A founding editor of Vibe, Kenner joined the start-up team of Quincy Jones’s groundbreaking hip hop monthly in 1992. During a nineteen-year run at Vibe he edited and wrote cover and feature stories on iconic cultural figures ranging from Tupac Shakur to Barack Obama as well as writing the acclaimed column Boomshots. Kenner’s writing has appeared in Complex, Genius, Mass Appeal, Pigeons & Planes, Ego Trip, Poetry magazine, The New York Times, and Billboard. He’s also produced and directed documentary shorts on the likes of De La Soul, Nas, and Post Malone. As an editor at Vibe Books, Kenner worked on the New York Times bestseller Tupac Shakur and contributed to The Vibe History of Hip Hop. He went on to co-author VX: 10 Years of Vibe Photography and produced the book Unbelievable, a biography of The Notorious B.I.G. by Cheo Hodari Coker, which was optioned for the motion picture Notorious.

Table of Contents

Intro: Top of the Top 1

1 True Story 19

2 Slauson Boy 37

3 On Hood 75

4 Eritrea 121

5 Hussle in the House 131

6 All Money In 161

7 Marathon Mode 183

8 Proud 2 Pay 207

9 FDT 223

10 Victory Lap 249

11 Exit Strategy 301

12 Too Big to Fail 321

13 Higher and Higher 349

Acknowledgments 379

Bibliography 382

Notes 395

Index 429

Reading Group Guide 437

Nipsey Hussle's Elements of Success 443

Editorial Reviews

What made Rob one of my favorite editors and my primary longform collaborator was his insightful eye, his innate sense of story, and his ability to appreciate the importance of minutiae as they relate to a larger narrative. He brings all of those skills to the forefront with this incredible book. Not only do you walk way appreciating Nipsey’s work, love for his community, and yes, hustle, but Rob also paints a sensitive portrait of Ermias the man. God rose inside of this man, and Rob captures every moment.

Cheo Hodari Coker

The assassination of Nipsey Husssle was, in many ways, the death of modern classical hip-hop. In death, Nipsey’s star has risen to the heavens. Rob Kenner illuminates the artist’s mortal side while artfully unpacking his humble beginnings and momentous victories. You see his flowers in bloom, in Technicolor, then and now. Behold.

Sacha Jenkins

In his relatively short and tragic life, Nipsey Hussle was an icon of the new new music business, where sheer grit, determination—and, of course, natural talent—helped cement his undying legacy. One of hip-hop’s most powerful voices, Hussle was an entrepreneurial activist, a street corner philosopher whose everlasting contribution lies not just in the songs he made, but also in the way he chose to live. In The Marathon Don't Stop, veteran music journalist Rob Kenner tracks Hussle's life with verve and compassion, from his humble beginnings to his horrific ending, unpacking the chaotic world which made him, fueled the work that defined him, and sadly took him from this planet all too soon.

Paul Cantor

The Marathon Don’t Stop is chronicle of a complex love and Kenner delivers it with the clear-eyed authority that has made him one of the best culture writers of his era.

Dr. Joan Morgan

From the cradle to the grave, The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle is a deep dive into the man, music, and motivation of one of the most gifted rappers to emerge from the West in decades. More than a hustler, Nipsey Hustle was both a businessman and teacher who was equally inspired by family, the streets, and the motherland. With an eye for the real, writer Rob Kenner has composed a biography that is journalistically solid, cinematically vivid, as gritty as the streets of Crenshaw, and beautiful as a rose growing through concrete.

Michael A. Gonzales

You may have heard of Nipsey Hussle, but you don’t know the awesome story of one of the most inspiring men of his generation. Nipsey was the Tupac of his generation and this book explains why.

author of I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became a Touré

Rob Kenner was part of the original editorial team who brought my vision for VIBE magazine to reality, and during his seventeen years at the magazine he always did outstanding work. The Marathon Don’t Stop is a beautiful tribute to a legendary artist.

Quincy Jones

Kenner episodically reconstructs Hussle’s evolutionary process, the long strides and long game he played to become a master of his own destiny in the voracious rap business, and a generous and visionary community leader in South Central Los Angeles. For those wanting an immersive, concentrated read about why Hussle’s run and ting still matters, The Marathon Don’t Stop provides layered chapters of incisive and insightful reveals.

Greg Tate

A rigorously reported, gripping account of how Ermias Joseph Asghedom hustled his way into the hearts and minds of millions. Veteran journalist Rob Kenner takes us on a harrowing journey, from the embattled streets of South L.A. to the ancient shores of East Africa to tell the story of a conflicted gang member, gifted hip hop artist, and crafty businessman who devoted his life to transforming himself and his community by any means necessary.

Carter Harris

Ermias Asghedom’s all-too-short life was a pure epic run—from child prodigy, teenage baller, and young G to worldly rapper, hood builder, and global superstar. Rob Kenner’s thorough, definitive, and powerful telling of his story captures all of his heart, courage, and commitment. Read it and be inspired.

Jeff Chang

Like dead prez said, ‘it’s bigger than hip-hop,’ and few embodied that more than Nipsey. His life must serve as a textbook example for anyone working towards uplifting their community, where the work, and not the fame, take full precedent. We need more people like Nipsey Hussle, which is what makes telling his story important.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

An extraordinary accomplishment: a book about a rapper, a neighborhood, business and ownership, racism, immigration, friendship, family, art, and love . . . from the Pacific Ocean to the Red Sea. A masterclass in music journalism’s higher calling, The Marathon Don’t Stop is a book not only for Nipsey Hussle fans, but for anyone who wants to understand the brutal and beautiful truths of the country called America. Rob Kenner has been to the mountaintop, and brought the word back down for the rest of us.

Peter Relic

With The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle, Rob Kenner has given us the book the world—and hip-hop and pop culture—has been waiting for. It is a powerfully written and reported biography of a life gone too soon, yes. But it is also history, sociology, psychology, and a case study of what is humanly possible, even for those of us born with very little. This is one of the finest pieces of literature about a real life I’ve ever read, and one that should be celebrated alongside the best biographies ever about iconic figures we have loved—and lost.

Kevin Powell

You may have heard of Nipsey Hussle, but you don’t know the awesome story of one of the most inspiring men of his generation. Nipsey was the Tupac of his generation and this book explains why.

author of I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became a Touré

Like dead prez said, ‘it’s bigger than hip-hop,’ and few embodied that more than Nipsey. His life must serve as a textbook example for anyone working towards uplifting their community, where the work, and not the fame, take full precedent. We need more people like Nipsey Hussle, which is what makes telling his story important.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

04/19/2021

Journalist Kenner debuts with an arresting biography of the late hip-hop artist and activist Nipsey Hussle. Tracking down Hussle’s family members and friends, Kenner chronicles his subject’s life, from his childhood in Los Angeles’s Crenshaw neighborhood to his murder there at age 33. Hussle grew up reading computer magazines and built a computer from a pile of discarded parts, and as a teenager was a member of the Crips. To support himself, Hussle started going on “get-money missions,” selling everything from weed to DVDs. From there, he turned his love of rap into a hustle, burning mix CDs, which he sold for $5. He soon began rapping on his own mixes, and his popularity—charted by Kenner with a contagious reverence—soared after Jay-Z purchased 100 copies of his mixtape Crenshaw in 2013. Nearly a decade later, his official debut album, Victory Lap, was nominated for a Grammy. Hussle returned his success to his neighborhood, starting businesses that employed felons, and a STEM program to “bridge the gap between South Central and Silicon Valley.” Only a year after his album’s release, Hussle was shot and killed outside of a store he’d just opened, prompting widespread grief in the music industry. This is a story of determination and heart that no music fan will want to miss. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

You may have heard of Nipsey Hussle, but you don’t know the awesome story of one of the most inspiring men of his generation. Nipsey was the Tupac of his generation and this book explains why.

author of I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Ic Touré

02/01/2021

A founding editor of Vibe magazine, hip-hop journalist Kenner has written the first biography of the complicated, innovative rapper Nipsey Hussle (1985–2019). Much like Hussle's work, Kenner's narrative is raw and unfiltered, the language of the streets of South L.A. unedited. Those who knew Hussle intimately share stories of his life and contributions to the music industry and dedication to giving back to his community. Born into poverty, Hussle was a straight-A student who built his own computer from scratch but became a member of a local gang and the target of harassment by local police. Determined to create a productive life, Hussle became an independent mix tape rapper whose autobiographical music focused on political awareness and activism. His murder in front of his Los Angeles storefront in March 2019 left a significant hole in the music world. VERDICT Kenner provides a behind-the-scenes look at the rap business and a musical genius. Rousing and powerful, this work will be devoured by Hussle's fans and appreciated by students of Black culture and the music industry.—Lisa Henry, Kirkwood P.L., MO

Library Journal

2021-01-14
The first full biography of the multifaceted entrepreneur, committed philanthropist, and rising rap star.

Before his tragic murder in 2019, Nipsey Hussle (born Ermias Asghedom in 1985), who was already a fixture in the hip-hop community, was destined for a mainstream breakthrough year. In 2018, after a series of well-received mixtapes, he released his debut studio album, Victory Lap, a critical success that showcased how to transcend expectations and transform one’s environment—in Nipsey’s case, the violent streets of South Central Los Angeles, “a once-thriving Black neighborhood blighted by decades of divestment and a policy known as redlining that amounted to real estate apartheid.” As veteran music journalist Kenner shows in his welcome dissection of a complex artist and activist, Nipsey, through his talented lyricism, was able to envision and actualize a brighter future that would feature persistent progress, constant evolution, and holistic self-improvement. In the same shopping-center parking lot where his crew had once engaged in illicit activities to survive a landscape without opportunity, they were now providing jobs and opportunities. Their flagship Marathon Clothing store and Vector90, the business incubator and STEM youth space, offered models to the entire hip-hop world about what it meant to be fully committed to one’s community. The Eritrean American rapper, alongside his real and chosen brothers, made it clear how to “get it straight up out the mud” through grit and principled action. Kenner, a founding editor of Vibe who covered his subject’s hard-earned success for more than a decade, smoothly pulls together many of the relationships, influences, and avenues of study that made Nipsey one of Black music’s beacons of hope. His signature tagline, “The Marathon continues…,” stood for endurance, and it is still widely used by his many fans. As Nipsey raps on a track from Victory Lap, “It’s all I’m tryna do: hustle and motivate.”

A well-executed recognition of the dynamic presence and unrelenting impact of a hip-hop legend gone too soon.

Kirkus Reviews