Nipsey Hussle’s daughter, Emani Asghedom, turned 11 years old over the weekend—and it’s the first she’s celebrating without her late father.
Hussle’s sister, Samantha Smith, made sure the rapper’s daughter felt special that day. Along with manicures, Asghedom also had a birthday cake that was a nod to her late father’s now infamous saying, “The marathon continues.”
In an instagram post, Smith promised her niece that she would be there “to celebrate life with you every step of the way!!”
“Happy 11th Birthday to my warrior princess. You are a strong courageous powerful fearless leader with a bright soul and an insightful mind,” Smith wrote in a caption. “I love you endlessly and am here to celebrate life with you every step of the way!!”
The celebration marked Asghedom’s first birthday since her father, whose birth name is Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was gunned down on March 31 in front of his store, Marathon Clothing, in Los Angeles. He was 33.
Last month, a judge also appointed Hussle’s immediate family—including his siblings, Smith, Sam “Blacc Sam” Asghedom, and his mother, Angelique Smith—the guardians of Emani, TMZ reported.
The family had been in a legal battle to keep Asghedom away from her mother, Tanisha Foster. The family didn’t believe Foster was fit to care for her as Asghedom had been living with Hussle’s sister, Samantha Smith, since his death.