John Legend, DJ Khaled, Kirk Franklin, YG, Meek Mill and Roddy Ricch all took to the Grammys stage last night (Jan. 26) for a touching tribute performance for Nipsey Hussle. Mill and Ricch used the opportunity to debut their new collaborated single “Letter to Nipsey,” which is now available to stream.
“Letter to nip- every cent from this song made will go to Nipsey’s family!” Mill tweeted about the song on Monday (Jan. 27).
“I just left your viewing at the Staples Center (I did)/ Obama wrote you a letter, yeah, you made it, ni**a (You made it)/ I even heard you had some players to come to Vegas with us/ And them suckers could never kill you, it only made you bigger/ And every time I see some fire, I see blue/ And every time I close my eyes, see Snupe and I see you,” Mill raps in the Nick Papz-produced song.
“I was in Miami when I lost you, I ain’t talk about it/ I remember I bawled out in tears when I saw your body/ And the flight back home, had cold days in LA/ Had to turn off my phone, throw on the shades, and meditate,” sings Ricch.
Later in the tribute, Legend and Khaled performed their collaboration with the late rapper, “Higher,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap / Sung Performance. Both artists remembered Hussle as they accepted their award.
“This is for Nipsey Hussle, this is for hip hop!” Khaled said, also revealing his newborn son’s name to be Alam.
“I want to thank all of you for supporting this and for lifting Nipsey’s name up,” Legend added, joined by Hussle’s family. “We all love him, we all miss him, it is terrible that we had to lose him so early. We thank his family for being here tonight with us. Thank you for allowing us to use his legacy and lift it up in song tonight.”
Hussle also earned his second posthumous Grammy last night for Best Rap Performance for his hit “Racks in the Middle,” featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy.
“It’s bittersweet because he’s not here to physically receive it or to see it,” Lauren London previously said of the tribute to Associated Press. “But I know, because of the type of man he was and how hard he worked, that it is a positive addition to his legacy.”
Listen to “Letter to Nipsey” below.