Indiana basketball: Gucci Mane announced as Hoosier Hysteria performer

Indiana University has announced that Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane will be the musical guest for this year’s event. This marks the second year in a row that Indiana has landed a high-profile rapper for Hoosier Hysteria, with last year’s event featuring G Herbo.

Gucci has been making music long enough that this choice could appeal to recruits and parents alike. His first studio album released in 2005 and he’s since established himself as one of the prominent voices in Southern hip hop as a rapper and record executive.

He was nominated for a Grammy in 2020 for his feature on Lizzo’s song, Exactly How I Feel, but had landed a number of hits before being recognized by the award show circuit. His fourth studio album, The State v. Radric Davis was certified gold in 2023, as was his later album Mr. Davis.

Gucci has also authored two books, The Gucci Mane Guide to Greatness and The Autobiography of Gucci Mane, the latter of which reached the New York Times Bestseller list.

Despite having been rapping for over a decade, Gucci is still putting out new music and staying with the trends of the ever-changing pop culture scene. His most recent single, Woppenheimer, shows Gucci on the album cover dressed as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, capitalizing on the popularity of the new biopic.

This booking reflects Indiana’s desire to make Hoosier Hysteria an elite recruiting event, featuring artists that will resonate with high school players and their families. A Gucci Mane concert is an event in and of itself, so tying it to the basketball programs only helps to raise the “cool” factor for a program that had lost a little luster since its heyday as a perennial national title contender.