Angelique Smith, Ermias "Nipsey Hussle" Asghedom's mother, unexpectedly presented attendees and viewers of her late son's memorial with poignant messages in spirituality.
Family, friends and fans honored the life of the 33-year-old rapper on Thursday at the Staples Center. Smith, who has shared that she's at peace with her son's passing in several public statements, continued to uplift the community during her speech at Nipsey's funeral.
Walking out to a standing ovation, Smith began by sharing she hadn't had the opportunity to write out her thoughts, but she had several messages she wanted to share.
"I feel– no, I know that we are all divine creatures," she started. "We are all divinity within. We don't need to look to the sky for a god. God is within. I have perfect peace. I am happy. I'm complete. I am strong. And if I can feel this way, so can you."
"We come from royalty and regality," she added. "We are very loving and kind and spiritual race of people. I want to tell you that we are very traumatized and we are very pressurized people. I want to tell you that."
Reading from her phone, the mother of the prolific rapper and motivational businessman read a prayer and poured a libation for her son, calling on his ancestors to accept him into the spiritual realm.
"I hope that you get the understanding that we're calling those ancestors into the service," she said at the end of the deed. "We are also asking for Ermias to have safe transit to his final resting place and so, when he reaches his resting place, we are also asking for these ancestors to greet him."
She shared that she attends African Spiritual Science church KRST Unity Center, the name of which she generously spelled out for the masses.
Nipsey Hussle's mother: "We ask those ancestors of Ermias Joseph Asghedom to keep him company on his journey … I would ask that all of our ancestors guide and protect us and give us the gift of perfect peace."https://t.co/7LBiAqaknr
pic.twitter.com/5hQoJDODLu— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 11, 2019
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The Los Angeles native, who conceived Nipsey on her birthday, said she was always spiritually connected to her son and encouraged the audience and viewers around the world to take the opportunity to elevate their lifestyles.
"I want to encourage you to choose a vegan lifestyle," she said. "I want to encourage you to limit your use of alcohol beverages and narcotic substances. I want to tell you that we come from royalty and regality. I want to tell you that we are very loving and kind, spiritual race of people. I want to tell you that we are very traumatized and we are very pressurized people."
In doing this, she passed one of the messages Nipsey was also trying to relay to the community as he regularly advocated for nutritional awareness, particularly in Black communities.
Veganism isn't just about the animals, it's about learning to respect ALL walks of life created by God himself & being able to be at peace within ourselves. Praise God & Nipsey's mother who promoted veganism & peace to the world during her son's memorial in LA ???????? #nipseyhussle
pic.twitter.com/iDrtWryndV— Alanni Garnet (@alannigarnet) April 11, 2019
Nipsey's mother also shared that she felt a spiritual shift days before the South Central advocate's death.
Echoing similar sentiments from days prior that she's at "perfect peace," as Blavity reported, she expressed that part of the reason is that she had always known the "I Don't Stress" rapper to be an extraordinary being.
She expressed that she had full composure when officers informed her of her son's death.
She then shared a compelling story about a young Nipsey to empower those in mourning to continue to move in purpose in his memory.
"I was living as a single mother with the boys, and I just thought that I didn't need a man because I can make my own money. I had bought my own house," Smith said jovially.
Around the time Nipsey was 8, 9 or 10 years old, she recalled learning how to change her car oil and feeling accomplished because of it. In celebration, she went on a ride with her son, and they drove a long way out.
"All of a sudden, smoke started coming out of [the roof of my car]," she laughed. "I had forgotten to replace the cap on the oil receptacle. So the oil had spewed out all over my tubing, and my engine was on fire."
"He hopped out the car, ran all the way downhill … in the middle of the street to the intersection of Slauson and La Brea. There was a fire engine making a left-hand turn. The light turned from red to green," she explained. "I don't know how little Ermias commanded their attention, but they made a U-turn and came back and extinguished my fire… I was able to turn the car on and keep on driving."
"I think that's what I want to tell you guys," Smith continued. Our engine is on fire now; we're burning, but we're not destroyed."
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