Nipsey Hussle Called Bitcoin A Form Of 'Karma' Against 'Crooked' Traditional Banking System — Why The Grammy Winning Rap Legend Believed King Crypto Would 'Create An Option'

Grammy-winning rapper Ermias Joseph Asghedom, better known by his stage name Nipsey Hussle, developed a conviction for cryptocurrencies much before they became a viable mainstream investment option.

What happened: During a 2018 interview with Hard Knock TV's Nick Huff Barili, the Los Angeles-born music artist famously described cryptocurrencies as a form of "Karma."

In a classic libertarian take, Hussle said cryptocurrencies were created as an "equalizer" by techies and software developers against the "crooked" model of traditional banking.

"It’s just like the energy balancing out what went wrong over there [traditional banking] and just the disadvantage that the people were at," the rap legend said. 

Hussle added that he was fascinated by the idea of sending money overseas without a middleman and a fee. "That’s a big innovation if you understand like banking and PayPal and all other type of s**t."

The rapper also came across as a visionary, saying that it may take a while but cryptocurrencies will eventually "create an option."

See Also: Satoshi Nakamoto Identity Prediction Market Appears More Volatile Than Bitcoin: Sassaman Dethrones Peter Todd

Hussle revealed during a XXL Magazine interview that he started investing in Bitcoin back in 2013 on the advice of popular fashion designer and entrepreneur Marc Ecko.

"From that point, I started paying attention to form an educated opinion," he said. 

Hussle's cryptocurrency engagements subsequently increased, and he acquired a stake in Amsterdam-based Follow Coin, a platform that shared investment information about cryptocurrencies in real time. 

Why It Matters: Nipsey Hussle emerged from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s.

He gained popularity for his mixtapes, notably his ‘Bullets Ain’t Got No Name’ series, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues, and Crenshaw.

Hussle was shot dead in March 2019 in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles. He got two posthumous Grammy Awards in 2020.

Photo Courtesy: Terence Faircloth Via Flickr

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