Murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle's devotion to his neighbourhood ultimately got him killed, according to former star producer Suge Knight.
Hussle, real name Ermias Davidson Asghedom, died on April 1 (NZ time) in a shooting outside his clothing store in Los Angeles, aged 33.
Knight told TMZ he feels Hussle's loyalty to where he came from - Crenshaw in Los Angeles - may have contributed to his death.
"A lot of artists like Nipsey have the same problem that I had. We are too loyal to our neighbourhood."
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The killing reminded Knight - who's serving a 28-year prison sentence for manslaughter - of the murder of Tupac Shakur, who was shot in Knight's car in a drive-by in 1996.
Knight moved away from his Compton neighbourhood when he made it big - but he says the lure of staying close to home is real because "when you go around Hollywood it's all watered down".
"I feel that Nipsey was trying to follow the same Tupac manual to the community," the incarcerated felon said.
Hussle was a nominee at this year's Grammy Awards for his debut album Victory Lap, but lost to Cardi B.
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