Rapper Nipsey Hussle died late last month, killed outside his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles. In the intervening weeks, fans and supporters—including his long-time friend LeBron James—have done their best to pay tribute to the artist, who was well known not just for his music, but for his work as a community activist and supporter of STEM education for kids growing up in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Now that support is moving in a slightly more whimsical direction, as James and other Hussle fans have begun humbly requesting that Crayola name one of their crayons after either the rapper or his work.
It’s all a little confusing how this particular movement got started, but apparently some fans of Hussle caught wind of the fact that Crayola had announced way back in 2017 that it was phasing out bullshit “I guess the yellow and orange are both too worn down” substitute “dandelion” in favor of a new shade of royal-ish blue, and was requesting people submit suggestions for its name. The company actually picked a new title for the hue a few years ago, settling on obvious Friday 5 p.m. first draft “bluetiful” as its final choice. But that hasn’t stopped Hussle advocates for suggesting they adopt a new name, something like “Nipsey Blue,” “Blue Laces,” or “Marathon Blue.”
Now, given their shared interest in education, it’s not entirely impossible that Crayola might deign to pay some sort of tribute to Hussle for his advocacy in favor of kids getting a leg up in the world. “Blue Laces” seems a tad less closer to something that might actually happen though, unless the company is really interested in releasing a crayon for those times when you’re puffing on the finest kush, spillin’ Patrón out your cup, bitch on your nuts, she can’t get enough, and you just really want to open the door to the imagination and let your love of color fly.