On Tuesday, March 31, a year will have passed since we lost Nipsey Hussle to an act of senseless gun violence. It’s an anniversary that, with everything that’s going on right now, threatens to be lost in all the noise. Not, though, is friend and collaborator Bino Rideaux has anything to do with it.

The South Central rapper and singer is releasing a tribute to Hussle, called “Pride 2 the Side,” on Tuesday. Rideaux worked with Hussle on the No Pressure tape, and he recently released his own Sorry 4 Tha Wait mixtape, and corresponding single “Bozo.” “Pride 2 the Side,” though, is clearly a therapeutic exercise for the artist.

“I made this song late night in Houston,” Rideaux says. “Months after his passing. It was more of a therapeutic session and song I never intended to release. Definitely a clear representation of me trying to cope.”

The song sees Rideaux genuinely struggling to make sense of Hussle’s death, lines like “now he’s lying with a hole in him,” recited with a sense of anguish. It’s particularly poignant, coming at a time when many of us are struggling with the concept of our own mortality. During the pandemic, Rideaux’s been doing what he can to stay sane.

“Staying home playing 2k and recording in my daughter room,” he says. “And Postmates been coming in clutch.”

And when this thing is over and the dust settles?

“I plan to pick up where I left off. A lot of music waiting to be released and venues to announce. God willing this will pass soon and I can put all this energy out into the world.”

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