The New York Hussle Awards Ceremony is an annual event that honors men of color in our community. This noble event is hosted by Sassie Sa Entertainment’s nonprofit organization, Hussle Up Inc., which is inspired by the passing of Ermias Joseph known professionally as Nipsey Hussle.

Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, many of us knew Nipsey Hussle as a known rapper, and not enough of us knew that he was much more than that. Nipsey Hussle was an educator, activist, and entrepreneur. Society associate’s men of color with negative environments, and stereotypes that undermine their support and progression.


This event highlights our community influencers and changes the society’s perception. The Hussle Awards is our part of the marathon. We work to ensure that our men of color continue to be encouraged, uplifted and most importantly, celebrated! Together, we give all the honorees their roses while they can smell them, and we could not do this without a community-based foundation.