Kendra Campbell/Contributing Writer
In a mock courtroom class a discussion focused on the life and death of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle and his album “Victory Lap.”
The Black Law Students Association gathered students and those from the law enforcement community to take part in an experimental event called “Civil Rights Through the Lens of Music.”
The audience briefly listened to a verse from Nipsey’s songs while following along with printed out lyrics.
Lawyers of color dissected the lyrics from “Victory Lap” and explained how the systematic and social issues Nipsey addressed pertained to the pitfalls and failures of the legal system.
“For me, it resonated the same feelings of anti-subordination that I remember from the days of ‘Public Enemy,'” said Ediberto Roman, a law professor who referenced the songs ”Dedication” and ”Last Time that I Checc’d.”
Roman said that he watched hip hop struggle through the Reagan and Bush era as “all things bad and evil,” to now it being seen as a respected form of poetry.
To him, listening to Nipsey’s album brought back the core element of what hip hop is capable of doing when done right: bringing to light the systemic issues plaguing people of color and the economically challenged.
Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Ashheddom, was an all around self-made rapper, community activist and entrepreneur.
He was known for promoting the idea of giving back and circulating wealth within black communities, rather than making it big and turning your back on the people that helped get you to the top.
In one of the most notable acts of his career, Nipsey bought a strip mall in South Los Angeles to make it be the location of his store “Marathon Clothing,” where he created jobs for the local community.
His life was cut short on March 31, 2019 when he was fatally shot in front of his store at the age of 33.
“Nipsey brought something to the West Coast community that, while he wasn’t necessarily the first or only rapper to be conscientious with his music, he was the first to actually try and build up his community by attempting to keep the wealth in the neighborhood,” said Jeremy McLymont, an Assistant Public Defender for the Miami-Dade Defense Office.
About $1.5 trillion is spent by African Americans in the U.S., according to blackenterprise.com.
The panelists said that Nipsey argued that only a fraction of the money spent by black consumers would return back to local communities.
Nispey wanted black people to be aware of the power that they had over the consumer market and encouraged them to help build up the community’s strength by investing in black-owned products.
The event covered other topics, including the struggle of being a person of color while going through law school.
“For me, support pretty much meant ‘I’ll drop you off at work,’” said Sue-Ann Robinson, who started off her career as a prosecutor but now handles all of South Florida’s civil rights cases for the office of Ben Crump Law.
Robinson had to balance school work while working two jobs to contribute to her family’s income.
She said her story is a commonly shared struggle within the minority community. When families do not have enough money and resources to support their kids in college, it leads to an increased risk in not finishing their programs as they become overwhelmed with the stress of finances and just trying to survive.
Michele Anglade, a professor of legal theory, reasoning, race law and gender law, appreciated Nipsey’s effort to make the struggles of minority communities known through his music.
“What I liked about Nipsey was that he had a lot of love for the black community- something that we honestly do hear enough of,” said Anglade.
She was especially taken by a verse in “Dedication:” “Young black **** trapped and he can’t change it/Know he a genius, he just can’t claim it/‘Cause they left him no platform to explain it.”
“That verse really hit me. I don’t think there’s anything else that describes so many people I know, or even the people in this room, better than that verse. It sums up the black experience because so many students fail in life, not because they are stupid, but because they lack access to need tools that would advance their learning, usually in form of money,” said Anglade.
As event came to a close and the conversation shifted to what can be done to fix the system, Roman gave a message to students.
“Run for office. Become a judge or state attorney. Do everything to get into the legal system,” said Roman. “These positions play a big role in the decisions made about which direction a minority’s life will go once they get caught up in the system.”
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