
Everything We Learned About Lauren London & Nipsey Hussle's Modern Day Love Story

Black History Month will come to an end soon, and boy, have we had some ups and downs. Although this month in black media has taken on us on a roller coaster of emotions, Lauren London and Nipsey Hussle just slid through the hood to give us a dose of Black love that we didn't know we needed in their latest shoot with GQ.
In the past, the power couple has kept their relationship on the lowest of keys, but their latest shoot, which was initially mistaken for an engagement photo session, has all eyes on them. The couple, accompanied by a valiant white horse, stood tall in Louboutins and Manolos on Slauson Avenue in their GQ feature, which has since gone viral. The photos were taken by Awol Erizku, who also shot Beyoncé's amazing maternity photos when she was pregnant with the twins, so their collaboration was guaranteed to be a bop.
Growing up in the streets of Los Angeles, Nipsey, a business powerhouse from Crenshaw, always felt the need to fight. But with Lauren London by his side, it's clear he realizes that he's already won. It was reported that the couple split in November 2017, but they reminded us that they're still going strong in building their modern day love story in their latest interview.
Nipsey and Lauren share a two-year-old son and have been together for more than three years, and despite rumors of engagement, the couple has been clear that they're moving forward in their relationship on their own terms. In case you're as curious as I am about how these two powerhouses make Black love look so sexy, check out the highlights from the feature below:
How Lauren London & Nipsey Hussle Met
What 21st-century love story doesn't start with a slide into the DMs? Nipsey and Lauren initially became acquainted thanks to the power of social media when the actress sought out a copy of Nipsey's rare Crenshaw mixtape as a season wrap gift for her cast mates on The Game. He explained:
"The marketing for the mixtape was that we only made a thousand units and sold them for a hundred dollars apiece. It was a scarcity model. Jay-Z bought a few copies, et cetera."
After having a homeboy act as her wingman, Lauren followed Nipsey on Instagram, who then made an attempt at shooting his shot and was successful. The rest was history.
How Lauren London & Nipsey Hussle Complement Each Other
In the interview, Lauren joked that she and Nipsey are just like any couple: perfectly imperfect.
"He didn't like the way I made the bed this morning, so he re-did it."
And he did so, politely, which is something that, due to his hard-knock beginnings, Nipsey wasn't used to. He explained:
"I just want to make sure you're happy. I appreciate your work."
He later explained later that kindness wasn't a trait that was valued in the streets and that he's always had to fight to be accepted and understood:
"I grew up in an environment where being polite was taken as a weakness. So I just fought everybody. You're not going to scare me into being somebody I don't want to be. So I'll just fight you."
Lauren clearly served as his kryptonite to this way of thinking.
What Lauren London Sacrificed To Live Out Her Modern Story
During the interview, Lauren revealed that after her starring role in ATL, it wasn't easy to book high-paying gigs. The actress shared that she even auditioned for the role of Faith Evans in Notorious.
"I auditioned to be Faith Evans in 'Notorious'. I talked to Faith, Puff, everybody. It just came down that the director didn't believe me as Faith."
Despite her not getting the role, an even bigger opportunity was on the hills. After being handpicked for a role in a major show, Lauren discovered that she was pregnant with Nipsey's child, forcing her to make a tough choice. Nipsey explained:
"Lauren was handpicked by John Singleton to do 'Snowfall'. She read, got the part, shot the pilot...did stunts...this was her dream role. And then she got pregnant with our son. That was a really hard decision for her to make."
The show, which she had already shot the pilot for and would later become a television hit, was the big break Lauren was looking for and she felt conflicted. The ATL star added:
"It was the toughest decision of my career by far."
Nipsey told GQ that he didn't pressure her and encouraged her to make a decision that was best for her at the time. It was at that point, Nipsey shared, that he learned a tremendous amount about Lauren's core values, and that "what she believes in, she really believes in."
Lauren told GQ that although the decision was a hard one to make, there really wasn't much deciding to be done. She knew what she had to do. In a vein reminiscent of Lauryn Hill's "Zion", she shared:
"Do I choose my soul or myself? I went with my soul."
Check out the full article on GQ.com.com!
Featured image by Shutterstock.com
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Tracee Ellis Ross Is Still Living A 'Robust' Life Despite Sometimes Grieving Not Being Partnered
Tracee Ellis Ross sat down with former first lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson for their IMO podcast to have a candid discussion about dating, marriage, and family. At 52, the beloved actress is single, but is still open to finding her person. However, she realizes that she has to navigate dating differently, describing herself as a "unicorn."
“I’m a very unique sort of unicorn of a woman, so it's gonna take a unique person,” she explained. "And in the meantime, I've really learned how to live my life and enjoy it and not sit around waiting."
Calling herself a "choiceful woman," she has had to push against culture norms and found that many of her experiences with men around her age were challenging due to the toxic masculinity they had been raised in. Many of their views about relationships conflicts with how she lives her life, so she tends to date younger.
“It's not just that I'm older. I’m also very embodied. I am a full, very whole person who knows myself, who is in charge of my life and who lives a very full, just robust life," she said.
Regardless if they're younger or older, Tracee has made it clear that she isn't settling and won't be in a relationship for the sake of having a partner. Even when loneliness creeps.
“As much as grief does surface for me around not having children and not having a partner, I still wouldn’t want the wrong partner. At all, I’m not interested in that. You have to make my life better, it can’t just be ‘I’m in a relationship just to be in a relationship,” she said.
Fans have watched pieces of Tracee's life played out on social media and TV. Just one look at her Instagram, you see that the black-ish star lives her life to fullest and it's filled with fashion, family, and all-round fabulousness.
"Even though the grief does emerge, and that comes, and I hold that, I think of what I’ve done. I think I woke up every morning trying to do my best. I didn’t wake up one morning and be like I’m gonna mess this day up. So I must be where I’m supposed to be.”
She added, “And sometimes I think of all of the things I’ve done—the courage that I’ve had to have, what I had to learn to how to navigate as a single person with no one to hide behind. It's built a really beautiful experience around me and I have incredible friends."
The Black Mirror actress has spoken about dating before and has always stated that she doesn't allow singleness stop her from living her best life.
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