Suge Knight thinks Nipsey Hussle’s neighborhood loyalty contributed to his death

FILE - In this March 29, 2018, file photo, rapper Nipsey Hussle watches an NBA basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks in Oakland, Calif. Grammy-nominated and widely respected West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle has been shot and killed outside his Los Angeles clothing store, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Sunday, March 31, 2019. He was 33. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (AP)

Former rap producer Suge Knight says Nipsey Hussle’s loyalty to his neighborhood could have contributed to his shooting death, the incarcerated felon said in a recent interview.

“A lot of artists like Nipsey have the same problem that I had. We are too loyal to our neighborhood,” Knight told TMZ.

He said rappers are often hesitant to move from their hometowns, because “when you go around Hollywood it’s all watered down.”

Knight moved away from his Compton neighborhood when he made it big, but loved to go home to “get chili cheese fries and strawberries and talk to my lil homies,” he told TMZ.

Hussle, 33, was killed March 31 outside his Marathon clothing store in Crenshaw, not far from Knight’s home turf.

Los Angeles police say 29-year-old Eric Holder shot Hussle over a personal beef. Holder pleaded not guilty last week to the murder charge.

The killing reminded Knight of the death of Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down in 1996 in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting.

“I feel that Nipsey was trying to follow the same Tupac manual to the community,” Knight said.

The former music exec also praised LA’s gang ceasefire in the wake of the killing.

“What’s good is that all the hoods getting together now … we can be stronger considering what happens when we come together,” Knight said.

This article originally appeared on Page Six.