A poignant piece of hip-hop history is set to roll across the auction block at Mecum’s upcoming Monterey 2026 auction on August 15. Even at a glance, this custom 1959 Chevrolet Impala is enough to make fans of classic American automobiles swoon—its slammed body in classic baby blue paint, fender skirts, wire wheels, and the tri-tone blue cloth interior trimmed with chrome and stainless steel tastefully tick several desirable boxes that make it a prime example of a classic model that helped define low-rider culture.
The car has been upgraded with a 283 CI V-8 Chevrolet small-block engine that features the noteworthy camel-hump heads for improved air flow and performance, plus custom-script Impala valve covers, coated headers, an aluminum radiator, and a set of surplus, aircraft-grade hydraulics installed by custom rod builder Ron Aguirre to bypass a then-recent California law that banned cars riding lower than their wheel rims. Thanks to Aguirre’s work, the suspension is adjustable and the front end can catch some air.
But it’s a major role in the music video for DJ Khaled’s “Higher,” featuring John Legend and late rapper Nipsey Hussle, that elevates the car’s significance even above its hydraulically hopping front end. The soulful song was reportedly recorded just days before Hussle was assassinated outside of his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles, and the music video—filmed in his native Crenshaw neighborhood in South LA—is bookended with “In Loving Memory of Nipsey Hussle” and “Rest in Paradise Ermias ‘Nipsey Hussle’ Asghedom.” A closer look at the lyrics, specifically the end of Hussle’s final verse, are sadly prophetic in retrospect: “South Central state of mind, high crime rate/Homicide, hate, gang banging will get you all day/And look at my fate.”
Hussle was a widely celebrated figure in both life and death. Though he was just getting started with his Grammy-nominated debut album Victory Lap, he’d already embedded himself in his native Crenshaw community, where he’d opened businesses and jumpstarted STEM programs.
After his untimely death, tributes poured in from artists, athletes, and political figures, including President Barack Obama, who wrote a letter recognizing his community work. Admirably, Khaled donated all proceeds from “Higher” to Hussle’s two children. In light of those details, it’s hard to imagine the “Higher” Impala won’t break six figures at Mecum’s upcoming auction.