He meant that painting murals of the rapper was their own way of honoring him and showing their respects.
Explanation:
In the article Street art of Nipsey Hussle in LA Breathes Life intoLegacy the author mentioned the ways different people were grieving and making memorials for the dead rapper Nipsey Hussle, he mentioned that while the rapper's colleagues were using words to praise him, for others like Levi Ponce "paint was how they paid homage".
To pay homage means to express deep respect or to honor somebody or something.
So, the author just meant to say that painting was their (Ponce and others) way of honoring Nipsey Hussle, that is by painting murals and street art in his memory.
