Charlamagne Tha God gave Lauren London an elaborate gold replica of her longtime boyfriend and late rapper, Nipsey Hussle.
According to Hypebeast, the pendant was designed by celebrity jeweler Greg Yuna, who has made pieces for Drake, Victor Cruz and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On Monday, the jeweler, whose nickname is The Cleanest, uploaded a video to Instagram showing parts of the process that went into recreating the Los Angeles-born rapper’s face.
“I had to find the best picture of him that I thought would be most suitable and iconic,” Yuna told the lifestyle website. “Then we make a cad and spend tedious endless hours on the computer trying to get as much detail as possible in so we can print it on a state-of-the-art 3D printing machine. Finally, we cast it in gold and laser in the tattoos and do the finishing touches, including the hand-selected full cut diamond in his ear.”
The jewelry expert was excited that Charlamagne chose him for the customized piece but added that he was thinking about creating it Hussle’s honor.
The back of the pendant says “God will rise,” which is the English translation of the Ethiopian name Ermias, which was the rapper’s birth name. It is also covered in paisley print, a design choice the New York-based jeweler said was “a symbolic depiction of [Hussle’s] roots.” It is a clear nod to the rapper’s affiliation with the Rollin’ 60s, a set of the Crips gang.
Streetlife and its dangers were some of the topics of Hussle’s music along with motivating listeners and Black people to strive for ownership and urging them to revitalize their communities.
The Grammy-nominated rapper was shot dead in late March at age 33 outside of his Marathon clothing store, one of the several businesses he opened in his South Los Angeles neighborhood. He was laid to rest on April 11, after a massive homegoing service at the Staples Center, which included Minister Louis Farrakhan and Stevie Wonder.
Hussle and London had been together for years and share a 2-year-old son, Kross. The actress paid tribute to the love of her life by tattooing his image on her forearm.
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