Most marathons have a beginning and end, but even in spirit, Nipsey Hussle continues to run laps, without a finish line in sight. Several years have passed since the rapper, born Ermias Ashgedom, was gunned down in the South Central neighborhood that served as the nexus of his rise to fame, but the many seeds he planted during his lifetime remain fruitful.

At the time of his death, Nipsey had several projects in development, ranging from music to film and business endeavors, many of which have remained in play in an effort to honor his legacy. In addition to a planned sophomore album titled The Spook Who Sat by the Door – a follow-up to his Victory Lap debut and inspired by Sam Greenlee’s 1969 novel of the same name – Nipsey was also on the verge of releasing his second full-length project with Bino Rideaux, a recurring collaborator and friend who’s made it his mission to carry the checkered flags that Nip once waved.

“The biggest turning point was getting with Nipsey because that turned into the next few years of my life,” Bino tells VIBE while reminiscing on the fortuitous encounter. What began as he and Nip collaborating eventually became a working relationship, shared creative rhythm, and a defining chapter of his career. 

“It just turned into a workflow, and that was the major one for me,” he adds. “Where I’m like, ‘Yeah, like I’m really doing this.'” That initial introduction soon translated into multiple studio sessions, resulting in standout efforts including the Dave East-assisted “Clarity” from Nip’s Slauson Boy 2 mixtape, as well as their joint mixtape No Pressure in 2017. 

With their chemistry and bond growing stronger with each collaboration, plans were made for the duo to follow up No Pressure with another collection; however, those plans were sidetracked upon Nipsey’s death, with the project being shelved in the wake of the tragedy. Now, Bino, Nipsey’s brother, Blacc Sam, and the All Money In family are finally unveiling that body of work, titled Prolific.

Built in part around vocals Nipsey recorded before his death, the project, Nipsey’s first posthumous effort since his murder in 2019, carries the inevitable weight of loss, but also offers Bino an opportunity to build upon what they began together a decade ago.

“I always pay homage to Nip, just for the energy, the information, and everything I got from him,” Bino says of the late lyricist and visionary. By watching those men navigate the world around him, he learned how to read situations, absorb advice and, ultimately, become his own man.

With the release of Prolific looming closer as its Aug. 14 release date arrives, the story is as much about preserving Nipsey’s voice as it is showcasing an artist he took under his wing and realizing the potential recognized.

VIBE: How did you and Nip meet originally?

Bino Rideaux: Man, it was always like in the air. I just felt like through the streets that us, when I say us, I’m talking about Out The Blue Records. We wanted to get with Nipsey and All Money In because it made the most sense. People on my side already knew people from his side and vice versa, just through the neighborhood shit. If we had to link with somebody in the game, we would want it to be him.

I got that call one day off Casey Veggies’ phone. That’s another good friend of mine. Nip pulled up to the studio. It was Nip on Casey’s phone. He’s like, “Pull up to the studio.” Everything happened after that.

When did you realize that it was a genuine connection beyond the music?

I felt like that the next day. He called me after the first day I pulled up because instantly, you meet Nip or even your idea [of Nip], and then before you meet him, it’s like, he’s not going to waste his time. He’s thorough. He’s going to think shit through. He ain’t going to be around nothing goofy. I already felt honored that he even allowed me to pull up. You feel me? The next day, him calling me, it’s like, “Okay, I passed round one.”

It felt more solidified. It felt like something that he wanted me to be there for because I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries and keep trying to pull up in the nigga’s space. It felt like he wanted me there, and I’ll say literally day two, I felt the connection.

What is it about you that you feel Nipsey gravitated to?

The more I think about it – because I always get asked that question – I’ll never really know for sure. He just saw that I was willing to learn.

I wasn’t ego-driven to get in there and just play another rapper. I was willing to learn. I had an open mind, and I was creative. Nip met me. I think my hair was pink at the time, a blonde or something. And this was before that was a thing, you know. I feel like I was open-minded and just willing to play my role in his campaign. I never needed the spotlight to be there.

I was just happy to be a fly on the wall with bro. So I feel like, you know, it was certain little qualities he probably appreciated for sure.

What qualities about Nipsey do you think the public rarely got to see, but meant the most to people like you who knew him?

My favorite quality I always bring up is his sense of humor. Nip is funny. He could have been a comedian. Every day it was a riot, for sure.

The public, the majority, is what you see is what you get. You’re expecting to learn a lot; you’re expecting a kind of high-power individual that’s going to give you straight order. You’re really going to get that, but at the same time, bro is one of the guys.

How did linking up with Nipsey in the studio and doing a couple of records translate to you doing a whole tape?

After day one, it just turned into every day. It was an everyday workflow. He was still in the process of working on Victory Lap. Shout out Mike and Keyz; they had a studio literally across the room.

If he were in there working on something personal, I’d want to give him space, and I’d go in the room with Mike and Keys, and we’d be building. Nip would pop his head in, hear we’re working, like, “What’s that?” We were constantly working on something in the studio, to the point where Nip was like, “We’re going to do this tape.” We were going through some things at the time; we were just in the studio like bros, and we’d talk about issues. We’d talk about good and bad, and we wanted to make an album about relationships from a different, more vulnerable perspective that’s female-driven.

We just started attacking it, and then that turned into us renting out no-name studios for 90 days and literally sleeping there, living there, and just attacking that project, for sure.

Would you say you pushed each other from a competitive standpoint, or was it more collaborative?

It’s crazy. I say it felt like a sensei. It’s almost like he saw what I could do before I knew I could do it. Obviously, I felt like I could do it, but then he knew it, and he saw it. I trust Nipsey creatively, wholeheartedly. If he has some ideas, regardless of whether I saw the vision yet or not, I wanted to help him extra, and every time, it came out crazy. I don’t know, it’s different. It was never comp. I can’t explain it, but he knew it, though. It’s like he knew before we even did it.

What would you say are your favorite collabs with Nipsey prior to this album?

I’m going to say “None of This,” that’s off the No Pressure album. We were targeting the album for women, and we had just come up on 90 days at No Name Studios. We get to Encore Studios, and we’re just chilling, vibing, and I don’t know why, but we were like, “Man, we’ve been making all these songs for women for so long, let’s just crank a vibe out and just have some fun,” and we made “None of This.”

That’s initially how No Pressure came out before this Prolific album because it was initially supposed to be Prolific. But we ended up making “None of This” and caught that vibe, and we were like, “Man, let’s just keep making these,” and we were in that bag. I remember “None of This” like yesterday.

When did the recording process for Prolific start?

That was the 2016 period. That was the initial process. I met Nip, and we did “The Field.” Young Dolph pulled up the first day. We did “The Field,” and we did another joint called “Clarity” that day featuring Dave East. After that, it was just us throwing vibes. He’s still working on Victory Lap.

Instantly, once we got in that bag, where it’s like, “All right, this the vibe. I know if I’ll wake up, Nip going to call me. If he ain’t call me, I’m going to call him and see where he at.” And we just figure it out, whether we going to get something to eat or whatever. At that point, it’s like Nip just came out with an idea, bro. Like, honestly, like, and he won’t see no wrong with it. He’s like, “Now we’re going to do this tape.” I’m just like, “Yeah, come on. Hell yeah.”

I’m not going to turn down a tape with Nip.” Like I’m like, “Hell yeah, let’s do it.” And then he knew I was in my R&B singing back and things like that anyway. I feel like that’s also where it’s really no competition. Nip comes with crazy ass bars. I’ll never try to go up against Nip with bars, but I’m going to come with this hook that’s going to complement it well. Just kind of smooth things out. It’s different off the light.

So this album has songs that were recorded in 2016 up until Nip’s passing?

2016 up until his passing. We had the project turned in prior. We finished all the records; we turned it in to Mixed By Ali for mixing and mastering. We were literally right there.

What would you say the average studio session and the mood of the vibe was when you were Nip? What was the vibe like? Oh man, it ain’t even no telling, bro. Honestly, it depends on how Nip’s feeling that day. It’s either going to feel like you’re in a college course, or it’s going to feel like a bunch of homies kicking it, vibing, or it’s going to have that intensity of “Dang, we’re making this banger right now.”

Obviously, who was always making bangers, but you know the up-tempo street German records, those sessions were always real high intensity. A lot of bodies in the room. But nine times out of 10, bro, ain’t no telling how Nip felt that day. Sometimes he just got something on his mind, where it’s like, “I’m studying this,” or “You ain’t seen this in the news,” and we’ll talk about that shit for hours.

Were there any added vocals after his passing, or was everything in the can?

It was in the can. The only additives I could say are shout out Leon Thomas. He came through with some crazy vocals at the end of this one record. Other than that, we just did a lot of post-production. Shout out to 1500 or Nothin’, Rance, and my guy Mars. They came in and kind of enhanced a lot of their production alongside Axel Foley, Mike & Keys, and others.

We all jumped in the studio, Blacc Sam, OTB, and All Money In. Everybody was in the studio for a couple of weeks, just making sure everybody was comfortable with everything and complacent. We wanted to keep this strictly the same. We didn’t want to go off the grid and do something that Nip ain’t approve of, you know what I’m saying? We really wanted to keep everything tight and as it was, for real. That was the goal.

Can you explain Blacc Sam’s role in the creative process and on the executive side for this album?

Blacc Sam came in and put on every hat. I haven’t seen him like this, but to see him in this bag and in the creative rooms with us, it was dope. It’s almost like super reflective, and he’s been humble, bro. He ain’t had nothing but ideas and energy, motivating us and really sitting there playing a song 10 times in a row just to make sure that everybody in the room is good with it. Sam has been real hands-on and involved in this creative process.

Do you feel that that’s strengthened your bond with Blacc Sam even further?

Yeah, for sure. Growing up in the city, we always looked up to Nip for as long as he’s been running his race, and we looked up to Black Sam too. Nip was the one that was rapping. We could hear it in Nip’s voice every day, but Blacc Sam, his energy and his aura are strong. It’s always been. The love for Blacc Sam has always been maximum, for sure.

Maximum love and respect, always. Even before I had a relationship dealing with them at all, we always had that love for each other through Nip, so him coming around and doing this, it’s a lot more comfortable. It definitely strengthens the bond, for sure.

Did completing this album give you any closure that you were finishing what you and Nipsey started?

I wouldn’t call it closure. It’s like a bittersweet feeling. It’s obvious, I’d rather be doing this with bro, but it’s an honor. Getting with Sam and getting with Tay and everybody and just coming together, being able to get in the rooms, and having everybody together in the creative process again in the studio- I enjoyed that part. It’s like Nip is in the rooms with us.

You mentioned the song “Make Believe” with Leon Thomas. What made you bring in Leon for that record?

Actually, it was a surprise to me. I got a strong respect for Leon, his whole catalog and career. I’m a fan. A couple of the producers got real relationships with Leon. I’m not sure exactly who reached out, but I remember getting to the studio and hearing it. I feel like they wanted to surprise me, and I’m just like, “Oh my god. Leon’s a genius.” It’s an honor to have him come in and get involved.

What made you and the team choose this as the right time to drop the album?

Really, it was just getting everybody in the right headspace, first of all. We wanted to be respectful beyond the music to the family, to Sam and All Money In, period. It was hard for me to even listen to the project for real until we started working on it again and getting ready to put it out. Nobody really was in the headspace, and I feel like it was just a conversation because we’ve honestly been talking about it for a couple of years now. I just feel like time was on our side this time with how everybody was feeling. Sam made the call, Tay made the call, and everybody fell in line.

This album has production from Mike & Keys,1500 or Nothin’, and is engineered by Mixed By Ali. Was it important to have that continuity?

That’s one of the dopest things to me. In the post-production sessions that we had this past year, it’s all people that I’ve seen Nip trust sonically. Some people were there working on it while we were working on it in those studios, so it was just a real familiar vibe. It wasn’t nothing that was out of place, a reach, or anything like that, so I’m glad we kept it all in-house.

You’ve got Buddy on the song “Just Like Me. Can you speak about that?

Yeah, Buddy. When I first started coming around the studio with Nip, Buddy was kind of doing the same thing. He had slid up on his skateboard, and he’d come around, hanging. He and Nip had a real relationship through the music, so that was an easy call, but he did that hook back then, and it was just crazy. That’s another one of my favorites off the project.

Another feature is “I Just Want To Know” with Cardi B. How did that happen?

That’s a Hussle play. He loves and can’t wait for somebody like me to get to the studio, and he just throws some shit on me like, “Yeah, we got Cardi.” He’s going to do it subtly, like, “Yeah, we got Cardi on it.”

That’s something that’s been there from day one of putting this together. That’s unapologetically Nip Hussle. The subject matter might be what it is, but we were doing the records, and we made that record. We had a lot of fun. That’s one of the ones I’m most excited about. I can’t wait to get that one out there. It’s going to make people happy. Just the reaction we’ve been getting in playbacks and little industry events and things like that, where I got to go with the album and talk about it, people seem to receive it really well. I feel like that’s going to be a major one from this project.

Are there any other songs that carry an emotional weight for you when listening to them?

One of them they just kind of they just kind of tapped me on the shoulder is “500 Horses” ’cause I remember when Nip recorded “500 Horses” and wedges you know what I’m saying it slid around here played it over and over and over and this before I even know I’m getting on the song and um yeah just slid down with Nip and he just playing it, and I’m just like, “This is crazy.”

Hearing it just made me excited for the next part of bro’s career ’cause I’m looking at him like, “Bro, you on God level right now.” Like God level music, so I was excited about that, and then he let me put a verse on it, and I’m just like, “Oh my god.” That’s one that’s probably my favorite. You can’t deny that one. It’s undeniable to me, for sure. I love the energy of that record.

Were there any records that didn’t make the cut that you wanted to?

Man, it’s always been like that since I met him. It’s always been some records where I’m like, “This is a hit, it’s a Grammy, Nip, what the hell?” Just to use it for a little promo on Instagram and then forget about it, so you’ve got to move on to the next one. That’s always been the good thing with Nip, there’s always a next one. It’s a gang of records out there that’s not on this project that would have been dope, but I feel like the way we executed it and lined it up, especially considering we left it exactly how bro left it, it’s perfect.

What’s another song from the album that you can’t wait for fans to hear?

I like “Situations.” That’s me and Hussle going back and forth. It’s almost like a conversation, but it’s the two of us talking to somebody and punching in at the same time. That’s one of my favorite records because I like the back-and-forth energy of it. Other than that, I say the “Vibe With Me” record just ‘cause Nip is on autotune and he’s singing. It was his idea.

He was inspired by a Stevie song, and he’s like, “Man, y’all want to get this out.” That’s probably the most vulnerable I’ve ever heard him get on the record, especially singing and things like that. It was exciting to make that one.

How has it been having Nip’s fanbase still rocking with you and keeping up?

Yeah, it’s dope. It always reminds me that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, just because it’s heavy on me. Wherever I can go, whatever I’m doing, I always want to honor bro while I’m doing it.

I can’t do any of this without considering and thinking about them, so the fact that they continue to support me and continue to support The Marathon, that’s just everything.

What do you hope people remember the most and take away from this album.

Honestly, I just hope they receive it like an honest Nipsey Hussle project. A Nipsey Hussle and Bino project. I wanted to scratch that itch that we used to get. I know when Nip dropped, we’d get motivated. It kind of sets the tone, and the seasons damn near change. It’s crazy. I just hope to scratch that itch from that they will want from a Nip Hussle

If you could have one more conversation with Nip, what would you want him to know, and what would that conversation be about?

Man, we’ll probably be talking about some stupid shit. Honestly, bro, I would want to know how he feels about the laps I’ve been running since I last saw bro. I would want to know why he believed in me so much, just to hear it, ’cause I never got to really ask him that. I thought I had more time to ask him that. Other than that, bro, we’d probably just be joking about some niggas [laughs].

What inspired the title Prolific?

For me, I hear Prolific, I honestly think of bro’s face. Initially, the album was going to be called Single for the Summer ’cause me and Nip was going through some things, and we decided to make it. We were going straight that way. There were a few other ideas, but in the chats, during post-production and while we were figuring everything out, Prolific just stuck the most. It made the most sense, and I was good with it, Sam was good with it, Tay was good with it. We just ran with that one.

Can we expect another Bino and Nipsy project or more songs in the future?

I’ll say, look forward to the All Money In documentary. They’re working on a doc right now, and it’s going to be dope. You’re going to hear some dope music along with that, for sure.

What’s next for Bino?

I’m excited to just live life with this music being out there. I’m going to keep The Marathon going just because bro wanted me to, for sure. I got some solo work coming, and then me and Blxst got to get together for Sixtape 4. We were just talking about that. It’s a lot. We’re going to keep it going, for sure.

Can you speak on you and Blxst’s musical bond and partnership with that series?

Yeah, that’s another thing. See, how it happened with me and bro, and I feel like why it was so long or why it’s so much longevity is ’cause we didn’t approach each other like competition at all. I didn’t even know Blxst was an artist. I thought he was a producer at first, so he would send me beats, and by the fourth or fifth beat, we kind of already got that bond where it’s like, “All right, if I’m going in, I’m going to text Blxst for some beats.” One day he just sent me one with some vocals on it, and I’m like, “Who’s that?” and he’s like, “It’s me.” I’m like, “What the hell?” We kept doing it that way, and then once we had six of them, we put out Sixtape. With bro, it’s just like a point guard, shooting guard. It’s your other homie who you know is the best player on your basketball team. Some games, you don’t want the ball in his hands at the end of the game. Clutch time for sure. I definitely trust Blxst wholeheartedly sonically. It’s fun making music with bro.

Do you have a title for your next solo joint, and do you have a timetable for when it’ll be out?

I do, but I don’t want to announce that yet.