South Central L.A. rapper J. Stone is continuing “the marathon” he started with his close friend Nipsey Hussle, who was killed in 2019. • Stone has been rapping nearly all his life. He started at eight and released his first mixtape at 14. • He and Nipsey Hussle met when they were young. They started making music together in their teens and taught each other how to record using ProTools. • Stone became affiliated with Nipsey’s All Money In label and released his first studio album, The Coldest Story Ever, in 2013. • Hussle’s death in 2019 had a profound impact on Stone. He dedicated the first song of his third album, 2019’s The Definition of Loyalty, to his late friend. The track is called “The Marathon Continues”.