Back in 2014, I was freelancing. Which, is to say, I was hustling to get my bills paid in Los Angeles where a coffee cost $8 bucks, and having a roommate was a must.

One of my greatest assets was that my main client was based in Berlin. Thus, the geography and time change meant if something was happening in the States, I'd usually get the assignment. It's why, and how, I ended up interviewing Kobe Bryant.

This brand put out a quarterly magazine. I was trying to think not only how I could land a feature in print — which even today is still super exciting — but also how I could leverage this opportunity into something greater.

Thus began, Operation Neighborhood Nip.

In 2014, Nipsey Hustle made the decision to sell his Crenshaw mixtape for $100. You've got to remember, this is long before the NFT craze, and RZA deciding to produce the mystery-laden, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

It was an audacious move, especially since streaming was becoming so popular. I remember thinking to myself, "This is a total money grab." But of course, it wasn't. It was ultimately a statement on understanding one's self worth.

Not surprisingly, the press ate Crenshaw up; especially with headlines like "JAY-Z bought 100 $100 dollars albums."

At the time, Hussle commented, ""I didn't get a chance to holla at Jay, but through his people he made it clear that he respects the movement and everything. I was humbled by it. I felt like it was a good risk, and it ended up working out."

It became obvious to me that Nipsey's story — which wasn't widely known throughout the world yet — would be perfect for this European audience. But, you've got to remember, I was broke, and searching for ways to turn one opportunity into two.

I had a friend at the Los Angeles brand, Young & Reckless, which at the time was pretty hot given that the owner, Chris "Drama" Pfaff, was still doing things on MTV with Rob Dyrdek like Fantasy Factory. I set a meeting with the director of marketing, and we talked about how they were collaborating with Nipey's The Marathon Clothing Store.

"Perfect," I thought. There was my access to the talent. But, the needle eye that needed threading then presented itself: They could get me Nipsey for this magazine, but they wanted him photographed in his Young & Reckless gear.

This was going to be tricky for a number of reasons. Namely, Young & Reckless wasn't perceived as "cool" in the snobby, streetwear world — where kids wearing Supreme would probably shove kids wearing Y&R in their lockers.

My hope, as I understood it at the time, was to deliver for Y&R — hopefully leveraging it into a copywriting gig for the brand (I had worked with LRG doing something similar) — and also get paid for the Nipsey story. Call it greed, call it hustle (or Hussle), but I was broke and needed the money.

Somehow, it worked. Although, I didn't end up working with Y&R anymore after that.

When I began working on The Streets Win, the challenge was to make sure it honored the past, but also included some artists that bridged the gap between generations. I immediately thought of the interview with Nipsey which was now almost a decade old, with lots of quotes that were never used.

The content surprised me — especially after his shocking murder in 2019 — and how he touched on the notion of death five years earlier.

The Streets Win concludes with Nipsey Hussle. I'll be forever indebted to him that he took some time to answer some questions. Maybe he was working me to get his collaboration some press, or maybe I was working him to pay the rent. But like he always reminded us, "The Marathon Continues."

Nipsey Hussle Excerpt from 'The Streets Win'

Technology is permanent. It’s not going anywhere. It’s like death; you know it’s a part of life. You’ve gotta accept death. You’ve gotta accept technology. This is 2013/2014. I think the best thing to do is figure out how you relate to it and how it applies to what you do. I think it has helped me more than it has hurt me. I was never in a position to fear technology or feel like it was working against me. I wasn’t a part of the old school/ traditional business model. I came in as the game was changing and as the new model was presenting itself, so I always looked at the internet as my friend.

The idea to sell the Crenshaw mixtape for a hundred dollars came from a book called Contagious. I read a story in that book about a dude in Philadelphia who started selling cheesesteaks for a hundred dollars. It was very controversial and polarizing. Either people loved the idea or they hated it. The book brought a lot of attention to his brand and restaurant, so I just thought that it would be a dope idea to apply that to a project—especially how digital assets and content are more prominent now than physical versions. I was trying to address some of the realities of what’s going on in the game right now.

The Streets Win is in stores now.