''The Marathon'' is a mixtape by American rapper

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

. It was released on December 21, 2010 for free legal download and for download on iTunes. The mixtape was released by

All Money In Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

Background

He released the mixtape around the time he was trying to get out of his record deal with Epic Records so he could release his debut album ''South Central State of Mind'' independently. The mixtape's theme is a "declaration of independence from the confines of the traditional music biz that forced him to endure over two years worth of delayed celebration for the still-pending release of his formal debut, ''South Central State of Mind''."

Singles

The first single from the album is "Keys to the City". The official music video was released on June 6, 2011 on Vimeo and was directed by Dan "The Man" Melamid, who also directed the video for Nipsey Hussle's 2009 single, "Hussle In The House". The song was released for retail sale on September 2, 2013.

Controversy

On the first leak off the mixtape, "Mr. Untouchable", Nipsey raps a bar that says: "High 'til we die, so it's muthafucc a Detox" which Nipsey in an interview with ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'', stated it was not a diss line to West Coast rapper/producer

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

and his third studio album ''

Detox Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of ...

''. He also maintained the diss was "...nothin’ personal. I ain’t never really reached out to Dre, or Dre ain’t never really reached out to me, so it ain’t a shot against him, it’s just, my focus is on what I’m doing now."

Critical reception

XXL made the mixtape the 49th best mixtape of 2010 and praised Nipsey's ability to bring back an earlier era of

West coast hip hop West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the e ...

Background

Singles

Controversy

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

References