Books that Inspired Nipsey Hussle

Keith Kesler, Social Media Librarian, Public Relations Department,
street mural of rapper Nipsey Hussle
Hussle & Motivate was the motto of the slain rapper Nipsey Hussle, tribute mural near the end of LA's Arts District on Violet Street near Mateo St. Photo credit: Joey Zanotti

Nipsey Hussle was a rapper, entrepreneur, and community activist from Los Angeles. In March of 2019, Hussle was fatally shot outside his store Marathon Clothing.

An article in the L.A. Times highlighted Nipsey Hussle’s love of books. The discussion was kickstarted by @theSIMSITY on Twitter compiling the list of books Nipsey Hussle mentioned in interviews and songs. This book list has inspired the creation of the Marathon Book Club where participants discuss the books that inspired Nipsey Hussle. We’ve made the list library friendly and included links to books in our collection so you can check out any of these books for free.

The reading list wouldn't be complete if we didn't mention the first in-depth biography of Nipsey Hussle, The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle which is also available from the library.


Nipsey Hussle Recommended Titles


Book cover for Between the World and Me
Between the World and Me
Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Book cover for Blood in My Eye
Blood in My Eye
Jackson, George

Book cover for Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business
Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business
Mackey, John

Book cover for Contagious: Why Things Catch On
Contagious: Why Things Catch On
Berger, Jonah

Book cover for Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs
Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs
Kocienda, Ken

Book cover for Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas

Book cover for How to Eat to Live
How to Eat to Live
Elijah Muhammad

Book cover for I Didn't Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
I Didn't Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
Wrong, Michela

Book cover for Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior
Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior
Berger, Jonah

Book cover for Law and Economics of Vertical Integration and Control
Law and Economics of Vertical Integration and Control
Blair, Roger D.

Book cover for Manchild in the Promised Land
Manchild in the Promised Land
Brown, Claude

Book cover for No Man is an Island
No Man is an Island
Merton, Thomas

Book cover for Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Grant, Adam M.

Book cover for Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior
Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior
Hawkins, David R.

Book cover for PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America
PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America
Anderson, Claud

Book cover for Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Godin, Seth

Book cover for Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not
Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not
Kiyosaki, Robert T.

Book cover for Revolutionary Suicide
Revolutionary Suicide
Newton, Huey P.

Book cover for Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit
Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit
Afua, Queen

Book cover for Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton
Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton
Seale, Bobby

Book cover for Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Knight, Philip H.

Book cover for Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Isaacson, Walter

Book cover for The Art of Seduction
The Art of Seduction
Greene, Robert

Book cover for The Art of War
The Art of War
Sunzi

Book cover for I Ching: The Book of Change
I Ching: The Book of Change

Book cover for Rework
Rework
Fried, Jason

Book cover for The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood
Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Book cover for The Fire Next Time
The Fire Next Time
Baldwin, James

Book cover for The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
Galloway, Scott

Book cover for Invisible Man
Invisible Man
Ellison, Ralph

Book cover for The Isis (Yssis) Papers
The Isis (Yssis) Papers
Welsing, Frances Cress

Book cover for The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone
The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone
Merchant, Brian

Book cover for The Peebles Principles: Tales and Tactics From an Entrepreneur's Life of Winning Deals, Succeeding in Business, and Creating a Fortune From Scratch
The Peebles Principles: Tales and Tactics From an Entrepreneur's Life of Winning Deals, Succeeding in Business, and Creating a Fortune From Scratch
Peebles, R. Donahue

Book cover for The Richest Man in Babylon
The Richest Man in Babylon
Clason, George S. (George Samuel)

Book cover for The Second Sex
The Second Sex
Beauvoir, Simone de

Book cover for The Secret
The Secret
Byrne, Rhonda

Book cover for The Spook Who Sat by the Door: A Novel
The Spook Who Sat by the Door: A Novel
Greenlee, Sam

Book cover for The Wretched of the Earth
The Wretched of the Earth
Fanon, Frantz

Book cover for The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire
The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire
Deida, David

Book cover for The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: How to Build a Product or Service Into a World-Class Brand
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: How to Build a Product or Service Into a World-Class Brand
Ries, Al

Book cover for The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk
Ries, Al

Book cover for Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich
Hill, Napoleon

Book cover for Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
Ferriss, Timothy

Book cover for We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Book cover for The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams
The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams
Baker, Tommy

Book cover for The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power
Greene, Robert

Book cover for Soul on Ice
Soul on Ice
Cleaver, Eldridge


 

 

 

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