@Gladwell you know you’ve made it when @gucci1017 is reading your book. #davidandgoliath pic.twitter.com/KkNKxdSVqI
— Kevin Amaya (@amayakebin) October 24, 2016
It’s not exactly news that Malcolm Gladwell is a popular writer. The British-Canadian has been published in The New Yorker for the past 20 years, and all of his five books have landed on The New York Times best-seller list, even when their critical reception has been negative. It was, however, welcome news to Gladwell that one of his most ardent admirers is Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane.
A screenshot from Gucci’s Instagram story — taken backstage at The Growlers’s annual Beach Goth festival in Orange County, where La Flare shared headlining duties with Patti Smith, King Krule, and TLC — showed the rapper holding a copy of Gladwell’s most recent book, David and Goliath, a 2013 exploration of underdogs. The screenshot was tweeted to Gladwell, who responded: “Gucci Mane, ladies and gentlemen. This might be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”
Gucci Mane, ladies and gentlemen. This might be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. https://t.co/XNIIfBTlZx
— Malcolm Gladwell (@Gladwell) October 24, 2016
In his first interview following his early release from the Indiana federal penitentiary where he served 35 months of a 39 month sentence, Gucci told The New York Times he’d been praying, working out, and doing a lot of reading while behind bars — mostly the Bible and self-help books by Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra. Apparently, he’d also been catching up on Gladwell’s social science-focused texts. “I read Blink, Outliers, and Tipping Point you my favorite author,” Gucci responded to Gladwell’s elated tweet.
In 2008’s Outliers, Gladwell examined various factors that contribute to immense success, among them his much discussed “10,000 Hour Rule,” which suggests that expertise is achieved through 10,000 hours of practice and repetition. It would seem Gucci — and another of Gladwell’s rhyming fans, Lil B — have truly taken this theory to heart; both rappers are positively prolific, and have released thousands of songs over their unique careers.
I read blink,outliers, and tipping point you my favorite author https://t.co/TNgvznmuOk
— Gucci Mane (@gucci1017) October 24, 2016
Credits
Text Emily Manning