Blacc Sam Reveals How Jay-Z and Roc Nation Came to Marathon Clothing’s Rescue

During an appearance on the "One54 Africa" podcast, Nipsey Hussle's brother, Samiel "Blacc Sam" Asghedom (right), discusses how Jay-Z and Roc Nation helped The Marathon Clothing secure a partnership with Live Nation after the rapper's death in 2019. (Screenshot/One54 Africa)

Jay-Z's support for Nipsey Hussle didn't end when the rapper was killed in 2019. According to Hussle's older brother, it helped keep the clothing business they built together from being overwhelmed by orders in the aftermath of his death.

Samiel "Blacc Sam" Asghedom revealed how Jay-Z and Roc Nation helped connect The Marathon Clothing with concert giant Live Nation during a recent appearance on the "One54 Africa" podcast.

The family was facing a flood of orders it lacked the resources to produce or ship, Sam said.

"We had so many orders that we didn't even have a way to ship out or produce," he recalled.

Live Nation initially offered to help clear the backlog and keep the website operating, even if the companies never reached a formal business agreement.

That offer, Sam said, came through the involvement of Jay-Z and Roc Nation.

WATCH: Blacc Sam explains how Jay-Z, Roc Nation and Live Nation helped The Marathon Clothing respond to overwhelming orders after Nipsey Hussle's death. Watch on YouTube. Video: One54 Africa.

A partnership followed, with Live Nation providing a substantial advance and taking over merchandise operations. The arrangement gave the family access to the company's production and fulfillment network at a time when demand for Nipsey-related products had surged.

It also provided something Sam hadn't fully anticipated: legal muscle.

Live Nation's attorneys pursued counterfeit merchandise, unauthorized websites and other potential infringements involving Nipsey's intellectual property and the Marathon brand, he said.

Those weren't the only threats the family faced.

Sam described a separate effort by people attempting to claim rights associated with the Marathon name. He said attorneys who had previously assisted his brother helped challenge the claim, which was eventually abandoned.

He did not identify those involved.

With Live Nation's resources, Sam said, the clothing business was able to expand, recoup the advance and eventually move back toward operating on its own. He did not disclose the financial terms of the partnership.

Jay-Z's involvement continued a relationship that had drawn attention years before Nipsey's death.

In 2013, when Nipsey challenged conventional music sales by offering his "Crenshaw" mixtape for $100, Jay-Z bought 100 copies — a $10,000 show of support for the independent rapper's business strategy.

A relationship built over years

In 2013, Jay-Z bought 100 copies of Nipsey Hussle's $100 "Crenshaw" mixtape. More than a decade later, The Marathon Clothing and Jay-Z collaborated on merchandise for his 30th-anniversary concerts.

Forbes: Nipsey Hussle and the $100 mixtape (2013)

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That connection has remained visible.

The Marathon Clothing collaborated with Jay-Z on merchandise celebrating his 30-year recording career, including items tied to his October performances at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Sam said Jay-Z also surprised the family by appearing onstage wearing an official All Money In chain, paying tribute to Nipsey and the independent label he founded.

The gesture meant something to Sam, who said Jay-Z's longtime associate Emory Jones helped maintain the relationship between the artists and their businesses.

Nipsey was fatally shot March 31, 2019, outside his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles. He was 33.

His brother has since overseen the expansion of the family's ventures, including Marathon Burger, which recently opened a location at Los Angeles International Airport.

But Sam's account also reveals how vulnerable the business was in the early days after Nipsey's death, when the family was simultaneously protecting his legacy and managing demand on a scale it hadn't been prepared to handle.

The assistance, he said, reflected the relationships Nipsey had built while he was alive.

"We had a lot of help," Sam said, crediting those relationships and the support his brother continued to inspire.