10 Reasons Why Nipsey Hussle is Successful [Episode]
1. Nipsey studies different marketing tactics.
Inspired by Chef James Locascio’s $100 “haute" Philly cheesesteak, Nipsey tried the same tactic selling his mixtape, Crenshaw, for $100! He sold 1,000 copies in a day, which brought in him $100,000! Jay-Z bought 100 of those albums, by the way!
The $100,000 raised from the mixtape funded his label, All Money In No Money Out.
He then upped the ante by charging $1000 for 100 limited first edition version of the mixtape, Mailbox Money. According to Nipsey Hussle, he has sold 60 copies of the limited retail version of the album (which cost $1,000) as of 1/24/2015
2. Nipsey has an “A” Team.
Nipsey teamed up with Def Jam A&R executive Steve "Steve-O" Carless, marketing guru Karen Civil and creative Jorge Peniche to launch as an investor of Marathon Agency. Marathon Agency helps musicians and athletes generate out-of-the-box marketing concepts and connecting them to brands, and spark general conversation. It was his team who helped execute the $100 mixtape in connection to an initiative entitled, Proud2Pay, which rewards top fans with concerts, priority access to new material, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Nipsey is also an investor of Marathon Agency.
3. Nipsey has unshakable confidence.
4. Nipsey is an avid reader.
“Contagious” by Jonah Berger and the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing By Al Ries and Jack Trout are two pieces of literature that sparked his interest in entrepreneurship. He once told HipHop DX. “ I read a lot… I’m like a book addict at times.”
5. Nipsey built a strong, positive reputation in his community.
Nipsey gives back to his community. Raised near the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue in South Los Angeles, he is actively launching Destination Crenshaw, which he estimates will bring 2 Billion dollars in development to the Crenshaw district.
He is starting this initiative with his first official, The Marathon Clothing flagship store and Fat Burger restaurant.
6. Nipsey constantly adapts to the market.
He told Forbes: “It’s time we acknowledge what we all know: the music is free. We shouldn’t force people to buy it, what we should do is create different methods to monetize the connection.”
“I believe that economics is based on scarcity of markets. And it’s possible to monetize your art without compromising the integrity of it for commerce.”
7. Nipsey has vision.
He makes plans and keeps positive affirmations before him daily.
8. Not ashamed to self-promote.
This speaks for itself.
9. Nipsey has a mentor.
Dubbed as “Big Bob”, who was instrumental in Nipsey’s career moves. He told Vice: One of my mentors schooled me on branding before it was a cliché term in the game. He told me, "Nip, don't ever look at yourself as a rap star. Always look at yourself as a brand, and understand what makes power of a brand, what makes a good brand." He put me on a book of case studies of things that went viral.
10. Nipsey separates his business life and personal life.
Though his relationship with actress Lauren London is public, he keeps details about their relationship and children very private. He is adamant about protecting his personal life in interviews and social media.
