Dope Black Boy 2 Rich Black Man is a powerful book co-authored by Christopher Freeman and Marcellus Womack. Dope Black Boy 2 Rich Black Man narrates Freeman’s story of being a high school dropout and selling crack at 14, to becoming a major dope boy making over $50K profit. Freeman was incarcerated for eight years and transformed his life utilizing the same street hustling skills to build a multimillion-dollar virgin hair enterprise, Beautiful Hair 4 U.
Womack describes what inspires him and tells rolling out about his writing process.
What inspired you to write your first book?
A great client relationship and brotherhood I built with Chris in identifying with his story (going from a high school drop out to major dope boy to prison before reprogramming his mind to legitimately building a multimillion dollar enterprise, Beautiful Hair 4 U.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I am very lyrical and like creating a buildup for a strong climax or punchline memorable gem.
What books have most impacted your life (or life as an author)?
- 7 Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Choprah
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
What books are you currently reading? Why this writer?
Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. His unique breakdown on the plight of Black America was recommended to me by several people I respect.
What new authors have piqued your interest?
Ta-Nehisi Coates.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your latest work?
No, it came out great.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing or coming up with a concept for your book?
I’m a zone person and often like to feel a certain type of motivational energy before getting into a writing space. So the challenge is accepting that I may not be in a zone-like space to write at certain moments.
What was the hardest part of completing this project?
Research and footnotes
What advice would you give other writers?
Tap into a powerful “why” and that will give you the energy to pull through the writing of something amazing into completion.
Describe the process in getting published?
We are self-published. So the process for us was establishing our own entity VVS Publishing, setting up our self-publishing services through Amazon.com, and hiring an editor to review after the writing.
What were the literary, psychological and/or logistical challenges in bringing your work to life?
Blending our writing styles and perspectives into one voice.
Everyone’s process for writing is different. Explain yours.
I like to develop a strong outline and then flow with the writing using the outline as a guide. It worked great with Chris because his freestyle approach always gave us content continuously throughout the book, making it easier for me to add additional content and perspective.
What are five of your favorite books and why?
- 7 Spiritual Laws of Success (Deepak Chopra)
- The One Minute Millionaire (Mark Victor Hansen/Robert Allen)
- The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (Al Ries/Jack Trout)
- Relentless (Tim Grover)
Please provide three good to know fact about yourself. Be creative. Tell us about your first job or the inspiration behind your writing.
- I scored 42 points in a basketball game in the 5th grade, breaking a scoring record at the YMCA.
- I was a hip-hop artist by the name of SupaCell during college and right afterward.
- Empowering Black culture with unlimited freedom and greatness has become my main mission in life.
What is the mission you set out to accomplish with this book?
Empower young black males with gems of greatness, and enlighten anyone who cares about their plight
Who are the authors you reread and why?
- [Martin] Luther King and Malcolm X — they were the greatest most intelligent men to ever walk the earth in my opinion, and their ideologies on liberating the black race was courageously paradigm shifting.
- Malcolm Gladwell – he always has an incredibly unique angle on how success manifests.
A great book has what?
A life-changing message shared in a captivating way.
You develop character and ideas by …
Getting into “the zone”
Where would you travel if you could to write your next book?
South Africa.
What is the gift of reading and why does it open up a new world?
You can go anywhere in the world, anywhere in the universe, and come back with an experience that can enhance your life.
