Netflix Acquires Nipsey Hussle Documentary from Ava DuVernay

Less than a year ago, the loss of rapper and community organizer Nipsey Hussle devastated Los Angeles and the world at large. Hussle was shot on March 31, 2019, in South L.A.

Now Netflix has emerged victorious in a large, eight-figure bidding war for an Ava DuVernay feature documentary that will chronicle the life, death and legacy of the L.A. rapper. According to THR, Netflix beat out other streaming competitors like Apple and Amazon in order to host the project, paying an amount “in the teen millions.” DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated documentary 13th also appeared on Netflix.

There is no word yet on whether DuVernay will actually direct the documentary (though it’s clear she has the chops for it) or whether it will be produced by her production company, Array. DuVernay is hot off an Emmy win for When They See Us, a Netflix docuseries about The Exonerated Five, formerly known as The Central Park Five. She also wrote the anthology series Cherish the Day for Oprah’s OWN television network, which premieres tonight, Feb, 11.

DuVernay and Hussle have collaborated in the past. Hussle took part in the press tour for 13th in 2016. At this year’s Grammy Awards, DuVernay introduced the tribute to Hussle performed by Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, John Legend, Roddy Ricch, Kirk Franklin and YG.