The grand opening of Marathon Burger on Melrose Avenue should have been a celebration—a victory lap for Nipsey Hussle’s legacy. Instead, it became the latest flashpoint in a web of tension stretching from the streets of L.A. to the highest rungs of hip-hop power.

It started with a confrontation. Black Sam, Nipsey’s older brother and the man who has fiercely guarded his name since his death, wasn’t just there to shake hands and take photos. He stepped directly to West Coast rapper Rockstar 2800—someone tied to Wack 100, one of Nipsey’s loudest critics. The message was blunt: If you’re not actively putting in work to protect Nip’s name, you don’t belong here.

Rockstar, clearly blindsided, insisted he had love for Nip and the family. But he also made it clear—he wanted a fade for the way Sam pressed him. And while Rockstar’s words might have sounded like an olive branch, the connections behind him told another story. Wack 100 has been locked in with Big U for years, and Big U’s name has been whispered in connection to Nipsey’s final days since 2019.

This is where the plot thickens.

Only minutes after that Rockstar confrontation, Snoop Dogg appeared. According to people close to the situation, Snoop’s arrival wasn’t coincidence—it was a chess move. Those in L.A. know that certain circles aren’t just social—they’re political. To align with one side is to cut the other off for good.

For Sam, Snoop’s pull-up wasn’t just bad optics—it was a visible handshake with the same power network he’s been calling out. The same network that includes Big U, Wack 100, and others who’ve clashed with Nip’s camp.

And the tension didn’t stop there.

The History You Can’t Ignore

To understand why this face-off carried so much weight, you have to go back nearly two decades. Big U, a respected figure in the Rolling 60s Crips, helped Nipsey get his first big industry push in the mid-2000s. He connected him to major names, even getting him on Tupac’s posthumous album Pac’s Life.

But by 2009, Nip was locked into a 10-year production deal with Big U’s label—one he eventually wanted out of. In the world of L.A. street politics, walking away isn’t just a matter of breaking a contract—it’s a test of respect and power. Nipsey recorded You Don’t Got a Clue, a diss many believe was aimed at Big U. Soon after, things turned physical.

Accounts from multiple sources claim that Big U confronted Nip, leading to a fight that only ended when Black Sam fired shots in the air. From then on, Sam and Big U were not just business rivals—they were on opposite sides of the street chessboard.

The Snoop Factor

Despite this history, Snoop has repeatedly appeared alongside Big U. For Sam, that’s not just “keeping the peace”—it’s picking a side. And it’s not the first time Snoop has been accused of cozying up to his allies’ enemies.

Back in the 1990s, during the height of the East Coast–West Coast feud, Tupac went after Biggie and Puff relentlessly. But Snoop, in a now-infamous Angie Martinez interview, said on-air that he had no issues with them and wanted to do a song together—right in the middle of the war. Members of Pac’s own crew, like Napoleon from the Outlaws, later accused Snoop of smiling in Pac’s face while quietly aligning himself with his rivals.

To some, what’s happening now feels eerily similar.

Theories, Whispers, and Timelines

For many close to Nipsey’s circle, his murder has never felt like a random act. Sam himself has hinted that Eric Holder, the convicted killer, was “sent” by someone. Loose Cannon, a figure later linked to Big U in alleged extortion operations, even claimed that Big U told him Nip was dead before it happened. When Loose Cannon called Nip right after, Nip answered—alive. Thirty minutes later, he was gone.

That timeline alone has fueled endless theories.

So when Snoop Dogg appeared in the same space as Black Sam—aligned, at least socially, with the very network Sam sees as tied to his brother’s downfall—the moment carried all the weight of a silent declaration.

Federal Heat and a Power Shift

In February 2025, the tension around these relationships escalated further when federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint against Big U. The allegations included extortion, property shakedowns, and “gang tax” collections. Street insiders claimed this was about more than crimes—it was about control.

According to those whispers, this same network has long influenced who rises in L.A.’s rap scene and who gets pushed out—or worse. With indictments hanging over major players, there’s a vacuum forming. Whoever fills it will control tours, label deals, and streaming revenue for the next decade.

And that’s where Snoop’s positioning matters. If he’s aligning himself now, it might not be about loyalty—it might be about locking in his place in the next chapter of West Coast rap’s power map.

A Legacy on the Line

For Black Sam, this is bigger than music industry politics. It’s about preserving Nipsey’s legacy without compromise. He’s been clear: certain people “can’t come over here.” And every time Snoop appears alongside those people, it’s a reminder that the lines in the sand are still sharp—and that the Marathon camp isn’t backing down.

From the outside, it’s easy to see a celebrity photo-op or a casual handshake. But to those inside L.A.’s interconnected web of street politics, it’s a signal. Snoop’s move isn’t just a visit—it’s a statement. And in a city where politics are lived out in real time, every handshake, every pull-up, and every public interaction is a piece of a bigger, more dangerous game.

The Marathon might be about endurance—but right now, it feels like a war of position. And everyone’s watching to see who’s still standing when the dust clears.