I had originally planned to do a portrait piece of Nipsey as part of my annual Valentine's Day series (a series where I draw a selection of male public figures who had inspired me in the year prior), but he passed away before I started on the project. It then became a memorial piece. This was the second time a Valentine's Day piece had to become a memorial piece (Mac Miller was the first time). Not soon after I completed this, a third man, Godfrey Gao, passed away before I could start on his portrait. I decided to end this series after that because of these unfortunate circumstances.