Nipsey Hussle’s estate has reportedly reached a settlement with Crips LLC over the slogan “The Marathon Continues.” According to TMZ, the slain rapper’s brother Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom informed the Los Angeles County Court in writing on Thursday (March 25) the lawsuit is on its way to being completely resolved.
Nipsey’s estate sued the gang’s corporate arm last October after they filed a trademark for “The Marathon Continues” two months after his March 2019 murder. The family claimed they already owned several “Marathon” trademarks themselves all related to The Marathon Clothing Store in South Central L.A. and would fight for it.
Although both parties are still ironing out some of the details, they expect to formalize the terms of the agreement soon. The suit is asking Crips LLC to destroy any merch with the slogan on it and an undisclosed amount in monetary damages.
Crips LLC corporate communications director William King Hollis initially seemed remorseful about filing for a trademark on the slogan, telling The Blast in July 2019, “There will absolutely be no trademark legal battle between their organization and Blacc Sam.
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“We are deeply sorry for any disruptions and melee that the trademark acquisition may have caused to his family, friends and fans. We realize that our actions may have been offensive and we have reached out to his family, respectively Nip’s sister, Samantha Smith.”
Despite the apology, Crips LLC failed to withdraw their patent request by June 2020, so the Asghedom family had no other choice but to file the lawsuit.
'The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life & Times Of Nipsey Hussle' Author Explains Why He Called Himself 'The 2Pac Of His Generation'
Veteran Hip Hop journalist Rob Kenner just released the first deep dive into Hussle’s 33 years on the planet in the form of a book called The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life & Times Of Nipsey Hussle,which arrived on Tuesday (March 23). The journalistic account goes into acute detail about Nipsey’s involvement with the Rollin ’60s Crips through dozens of interviews with those who knew him best.
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“I feel like the world needs his message more than ever,” Kenner told HipHopDX Senior Writer Kyle Eustice in a recent interview. “Most people in rap media, they had a really limited view of who Nipsey really was. They had a simplistic view of he was a ‘gangsta rapper’ from the hood. He’s really in the streets. He’s real or whatever. These little details were known to some people, but the grand vision of what Nipsey Hussle was pursuing, I don’t think has been properly communicated.
“There were very few magazine profiles written about him during his career and this whole outpouring of love and grief after his passing, but nobody has really told the story properly. So I felt like it really needed to be done. I’m humbly proud that so many of his inner circle were willing to speak with me about him and share their stories.”
