Samantha Smith has been a presence at nearly all of the events honoring her late brother Nipsey Hussle following his senseless March 31 murder outside of his clothing store in South L.A. Now she’s seeking to be named the guardian of his oldest child, 10-year-old daughter Emani Asghedom. In a filing to LA’s Superior Court obtained by TMZ, Samantha wants “to ensure the continued stability for Emani and ensure that she will be able to maintain her current and ongoing relationship” with Nipsey’s family. She also believes the girl’s biological mother Tanisha Foster is unable to care for the child according to the paperwork. We’ve got five things to know about Samantha.
1. Samantha is a professional esthetician.
She owns a successful skin treatment company called Glo by Samantha Smith that provides professional facial treatments, skin consultations and facial mapping. She works primarily in the Los Angeles area, but has traveled across the country for weekend skin treatment sessions.
2. Samantha took her mother’s last name
Samantha and Nipsey’s parents are Eritrean-born Dawit Asghedom and American Angelique Smith. Nipsey’s real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, and they have a brother named Samiel Asghedom who goes by Blacc Sam.
3. Samantha lived with her brother until just a few years ago.
In the court papers, Samantha says she lived with Nipsey until 2015 and helped raise his daughter Emani. She says she “maintains consistent and frequent contact” with her niece.
4. Samantha has been a vocal presence since her brother’s murder.
She gave a eulogy at his star-studded Celebration of Life at LA’s Staples Center alongside Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder and Master P. Next to a series of Instagram posts of her at the podium she wrote ” Thank you thank you thank you. For choosing me as your sister and shining your light on me. For having my back. For setting the bar so high and showing me what a real stand up authentic Man looks like.” She was also present at several memorial services outside of his Marathon Clothing Store.
5. Samantha works with at-risk youth in her community.
On her Instagram page she has several photos speaking to kids on career days. In one she addressed at risk youth at Long Beach’s Lindbergh Middle School’s STEM academy.
