DJ Khaled - Higher ft. Nipsey Hussle, John Legend

What this video is

Released May 17, 2019 as part of DJ Khaled's album Father of Asahd, 'Higher' arrived 47 days after Nipsey Hussle's murder on March 31, 2019 — transforming a recorded collaboration into a posthumous cultural monument. The video became a focal point of public mourning for Hussle, widely regarded as a community leader and entrepreneur in South Los Angeles. DJ Khaled pledged all proceeds to Hussle's children, and the…

Why it matters

A landmark document of late 2010s hip-hop memorial culture, 'Higher' exemplifies the genre's capacity to process public grief through music video form. The gospel-rap hybrid structure — John Legend's piano-anchored chorus against Nipsey Hussle's South Central narrative verse — reflects hip-hop's…

The director

Bronx-born director, editor, and graphic artist (born Efrain Rivera) who entered music video production in 2011. A graduate of New York City's High School of Art & Design, Rivera built his career through graphic design work for Loud Records and hip-hop album…