Nipsey Hussle’s family granted guardianship of 10-year-old daughter
The late Nipsey Hussle's family has been granted guardianship of his 10-year-old daughter, Emani.
According to court documents obtained by ET on Wednesday, the late rapper's mother, Angelique Smith, and his siblings -- Samantha Smith and Sam Asghedom -- were granted guardianship after providing sufficient evidence to the court for their petition. Samantha filed for custody of Emani in May, one month after Hussle -- whose real name was Ermias Asghedom -- was fatally shot outside his clothing store in south Los Angeles.
Emani's mother, Tanisha Foster, appeared in court to try to regain custody of Emani in May, TMZ reported. While the hearing was sealed, Foster told the outlet at the time that she was "pissed off" about the outcome as she walked out of court.
According to the documents obtained by ET in May, Samantha lived with Hussle and his daughter from 2008 until around 2014 or 2015 and assisted with Emani's "day-to-day care," and she continued to have "consistent and frequent contact with Emani on a weekly basis" after she eventually moved out. Samantha, according to the documents, petitioned the court for guardianship "to ensure the continued stability for Emani" as well as "to ensure that she can continue to live with family members with whom she has always had close ties."
In June, Emani paid tribute to her both her mother and late father at her elementary school graduation, according to photos and videos taken by friends and family and posted on Instagram fan accounts. During her graduation ceremony, Emani gave a short speech and gave a shout-out to her parents.
"I want to begin by sharing my thankfulness for my mom for believing in me, and my dad, for always being there for me," she said.
Aside from Emani, Hussle also had a 3-year-old son, Kross, with his longtime love, Lauren London. London shared a sweet birthday tribute to Kross on his birthday last month on Instagram, writing, "Today is my warrior baby’s 3rd Birthday. Kross Ermias Asghedom. You are the Light that shines in darkness. You are everything we prayed for and more. Continue to shine Sun 🏁🙏🏽💙." Dozens of celebs commented with birthday messages of their own, including La La Anthony, YG, LeBron James, Nene Leakes, Chaka Khan and many more.
Clearly, Hussle was beloved in the music industry. ET spoke to DJ Khaled in August at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, and he reminisced about working with "the king, Nip" on their song, "Higher." Watch the video below for more:
