In the wake of Nipsey Hussle’s death, merchandise from his store, Marathon, became such a hot commodity that it sold out all of the available stock in the weeks immediately afterward. In the years since, it’s remained popular due to the late rapper’s beloved status and elevated visibility thanks to things like his Grammy wins and massive televised memorial service in which Nipsey received praise for his community building efforts from the likes of President Obama and Jay-Z.
However, the drawback to that increased popularity is that it has allegedly attracted unscrupulous businesses looking to cash in. According to TMZ, Nipsey’s estate, led by his older brother Samiel Asghedom (aka Blacc Sam), has taken issue with a number of e-commerce sites that have begun selling knockoff merch bearing the distinctive Crenshaw logo sold at Marathon Clothing Store, as well as other trademarked properties like one reading “South Central State of Mind.” To curb the spread, Sam has filed lawsuit in the state of Illinois, where the sites appear to be doing most of their marketing, to get all the profits from the sales or $2 million per trademark violation.
The sites appear to be operating from China, and although they appear to be different sites, the lawsuit makes clear they believe that the sites could be working in concert, due to shared marketing practices, similar misspellings, and other telltale signs.
Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.