The star, 33, was shot along with two other people who were in critical condition in hospital last night - while a suspect remained at large
RAPPER Nipsey Hussle was killed in a triple-shooting outside an LA clothes shop last night.
The Grammy-nominated star, 33, was shot dead just hours after posting a cryptic message about his "enemies".
A suspect - who witnesses say fled in a car - remained at large as two other victims were in serious condition in hospital.
Rap star 50 Cent was among those who paid tribute to Hussle - whose debut studio album Victory Lap was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year's Grammys.
He wrote: "Thoughts and prayers for @NipseyHussle".
Pop star Rihanna tweeted: "This doesn't make any sense! My spirit is shaken by this! Dear God may His spirit Rest In Peace and May You grant divine comfort to all his loved ones! ... I'm so sorry this happened to you @nipseyhussle."
Rap legend Snoop Dogg posted on Instagram: "Prayers out to the whole family, man. This ... got to stop, man.";
Ice Cube wrote on Twitter: "Sad, mad and disappointed about my guy @Nipsey Hussle."
And rapper Drake added: "My whole energy is just at a low right now hearing this.... You were having the best run and I was so happy watching from distance fam... I want the world to know I saw you as a man of respect and a don. Rest easy my g."
The shooting, outside his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles, came just hours after Hussle wrote about having "strong enemies" on Twitter.
He wrote: "Having strong enemies is a blessing."
An LAPD statement on Twitter said: "At approximately 3:20pm (11:20BST) there was a shooting reported in the area of Slauson Ave and Crenshaw Blvd.
"3 victims were transported to a local hospital where one was pronounced deceased."
They later added: " The suspect in the shooting is described as a male black & LAPD South Bureau Homicide is conducting an investigation to locate him and anyone else involved."
Hussle, the father of a two-year-old with the actor Lauren London, also had children from other relationships.
He had long been associated with the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips - one of Los Angeles' largest street gangs.
The rapper, real name Ermias Asghedom, publicly acknowledged his links to the gang in a 2010 interview .
More recently, he became interested in the tech industry praising the moguls behind giants PayPal and Facebook.
He told the last year: "In our culture, there's a narrative that says, 'Follow the athletes, follow the entertainers.
"And that's cool, but there should be something that says, 'Follow Elon Musk, follow [Mark] Zuckerberg.'"
Hussle was born on Aug. 15, 1985, in the Crenshaw neighbourhood of south Los Angeles.
The Eritrean-American said his first passion was music but getting resources was tough since he left his mother's house at 14 to live with his grandmother.
He said he got involved in street life as he tried to support himself and he joined the gang Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips as a teenager.
In a 2014 interview with VladTV, he said: "The culture of my area is the gang culture - so by being outside, being involved with hustling, being in the hood, doing things to try to get money, being young, you know riding your bike through the hood, getting shot at, your loved ones and homies that's your age getting killed, getting shot at ...
"...it's like, we were just raised like if you with me and something goes now, I'm in it, whether I'm from the (expletive) or not."
Success in the music industry eventually happened for Hussle.
The West Coast rapper released a number of mixtapes that he sold out of the trunk of his car, helping him create a buzz and gain respect from rap purists and his peers.
In 2010 he placed on hip-hop magazine XXL's "Freshman Class of 2010" a coveted list for up-and-coming hip-hop acts alongside J. Cole Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Rock and others.
Hussle continued to build more hype for himself and Jay-Z even bought 100 copies of his 2013 mixtape Crenshaw for $100 each, sending the budding rapper a $10,000 check.
But the rapper, who was once signed to Sony's Epic Records, hit a new peak with Victory Lap, his critically acclaimed major-label debut album on Atlantic Records.
The album debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's 200 albums charts and featured collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Diddy, CeeLo Green and more.
At this year's Grammy Awards, the record was one of five nominees for best rap album in a year.
Following his death, Hussle's label Atlantic Records posted: "Words cannot express our sadness. Nipsey was not only one of the greatest artists we worked with but an amazing father & leader in his community.
"One of the kindest & brightest stars in the universe, he was inspiring to all. We will miss him, his music & everything he stood for."
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted: "Our hearts are with the loved ones of Nipsey Hussle and everyone touched by this awful tragedy.
"LA is hurt deeply each time a young life is lost to senseless gun violence. My Crisis Response Team is assisting the families coping with shock and grief."
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