Skip Navigation

David Samuels

David Samuels is a regular contributor to The Atlantic.

Rakim: 'We Need a Few More Kanyes'

Rakim: 'We Need a Few More Kanyes'

Talking with the rap legend about the state of hip-hop today, how state of hip-hop when he started—and how he ended up living in suburban Connecticut… More »

Issue May 2012

American Mozart

Intense, emotional, and frequently out of control, the hip-hop superstar Kanye West allowed his antics to turn him into a national joke and to earn him the criticism of two American presidents. Would a massive concert tour with his friend and rival Jay-Z offer the troubled rapper a taste of redemption—or disaster?… More »

The Shameful Attacks on Julian Assange

The Shameful Attacks on Julian Assange

The man behind Wikileaks is a hero of journalism. He should be respected by the Obama Administration -- and celebrated by other reporters.… More »

Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Fertitta, the billionaire majority owner of the UFC, rarely grants interviews, but he agreed to sit down with David Samuels for his story for The Atlantic. Here is a partial transcript of their conversation… More »

Arianny Celeste, Octagon Girl

David Samuels has a chat with one of Ultimate Fighting's bikini-clad ring-card-carrying girls… More »

BJ Penn

David Samuels interviews Ultimate Fighting Champion BJ Penn… More »

Issue December 2008

Rampage

Quinton Jackson wears a steel bicycle chain around his neck, has a tattoo of a black panther on his enormous bicep, and has a tendency to howl like a wolf. He is also born-again, the loving father of four children—and known for delivering the hardest blow in the history of professional sports. Now, in attempting to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship title, he is also trying to hold onto his sanity. An intimate portrait of a mixed martial…… More »

Issue April 2008

Shooting Britney

How a French journalist recruited a posse of Brazilian parking attendants and pizza-delivery guys and helped create Hollywood’s most addictive entertainment product… More »

The Celebrity Hunters

David Samuels, the author of "Shooting Britney" in the April Atlantic, interviews Brandy and François-Regis Navarre of X17, Hollywood's biggest paparazzi agency, about a selection of recent celebrity photographs taken by X17's photographers on the streets of Los Angeles… More »

Issue June 2007

Grand Illusions

With Rumsfeld and Powell gone, and Cheney’s power diminished, this is Condoleezza Rice’s moment. Can she salvage America’s standing in the Middle East—and defuse the threat of a nuclear Iran? Behind the curtain in Washington and Jerusalem with the secretary of state… More »

Issue May 2007

Let’s Die Together

Why is anonymous group suicide so popular in Japan?… More »

A Conversation With Henry Kissinger

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger discusses Condoleezza Rice and American policy in the Middle East with author David Samuels… More »

A Conversation With Colin Powell

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell talks with author David Samuels about the relative advantages of using “soft power” and “hard power” in spreading American influence and ideas, and about the current state of American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere… More »

A Conversation With George Schultz

George Schultz speaks with author David Samuels about American diplomacy in the Middle East, the Cold War, the global spread of market capitalism, and his relationship with Condoleezza Rice… More »

Issue September 2005

In a Ruined Country

How Yasir Arafat destroyed Palestine … More »

View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

Olympic Portraits, Part I: American Athletes

May 30, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)