HOLLY GROVE, Ark.- The artwork of a woman in a small Arkansas town has gone viral for her unique tribute to a Los Angeles rapper and songwriter.
Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed outside his clothing store Sunday. Police arrested a suspect in the case on Tuesday.
The Grammy-nominated rapper was remembered not just for his music, but for his community involvement and push to stop gang violence.
His sudden death unleashed an outpouring of grief from fans and celebrities.
Nel Polk has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember.
She says she wanted to do pay tribute to Nipsey Hussle. What she thought was just another painting, turned out to be something much more.
Outside the old high school parking lot in Holly Grove, you’ll find Nel doing what she loves.
“I always come out here to do paintings,” she said. “Art just came naturally.”
The single mother uses art to express herself.
“It’s gotten me out a lot of trouble and doing better in life,” said Polk.
Striving to do better, the artist decided to show love to one of her fans through her passion.
“I didn’t think anything of it,” Polk said.
She painted a picture of Nipsey Hussle.
“He had so much for everybody,” she added.
Devastated by Nipsey’s death, Polk said the artist did much more than make music.
“He showed people you can do something positive with your life. You don’t have to turn to gang violence,” Polk said.
She spent two hours using pastel chalks to craft the creation of Hussle.
“It was just like a tribute to him to show we still love you,” Polk said.
The painting has been shared across social media thousands of times and featured on the popular entertainment website The Shade Room.
“I’m blessed. I’m so blessed. My dream is coming true to be an artist,” she said.
She says the painting is a small token to show how much Nipsey Hussle inspired her.
“I’m going to continue to do it because I love doing it,” Polk said.
Polk says she is going to use a glue sealant to spray on the painting so it doesn’t wash away.
She paints and draws for people in the community all the time. She even has artwork of famous people on her Facebook Page, called Nel P Arts.
