The L.A. Metro is celebrating what would have been Nipsey Hussle’s 40th birthday with limited-edition TAP cards – and a station renaming!
The late rap icon and Angeleno would’ve turned 40 this year, on August 15, 2025. Just ahead of his birthday, the L.A. Metro is paying tribute to Hussle’s life and cultural impact with two commemorative TAP card designs.
The TAP cards are part of the Metro x Culture series, a new initiative celebrating “Angelenos who’ve shaped LA culture—leaders, artists, visionaries—especially those whose journeys began on Metro buses and trains,” according to the website. Hussle has specifically mentioned the L.A. Metro in his music. “I’m a 108 bus catching/Blue line train riding/Westsider,” he rapped on his 2016 song, “Question #1.”
A black-and-white portrait of Nipsey on the streets of Crenshaw has been donned the “Crenshaw & Slauson” card, while a color-stylized horizontal portrait of Hussle on a Metro bus is titled “Watts.”
Only 12,000 of these special TAP cards will be released to the public, starting on Friday, August 15. The two cards will be available to pick up at select Metro station ticket vending machines, including Hyde Park, Crenshaw, Slauson, Compton, Hollywood/Vine, and Expo/Crenshaw.
Fans can also get the Nipsey Hussle TAP cards at all six Metro Customer Centers. Additional quantities will be available at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw and Rosa Parks locations.
Metro is also giving the card to participants of their Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) Program. “Eligible new participants signing up in South LA will receive the card,” reads a press release. “Each LIFE card includes 9 months of free transit access across multiple agencies—a value of over $600.”
And to really drive home Hussle’s impact on South L.A., Metro is gearing up to temporarily rename its Hyde Park Station to “Nipsey Hussle Station.” The change will be in effect from August 15 to August 31.