Stic from Dead Prez
It’s still Bigger than Hip Hop!
Legendary rap outfit Dead Prez are famous for social movements and being a voice of the people, some of their many inspiring songs include ‘Be Healthy’ a song that alluded to cutting out meat and dairy from the diet.
Stic from Dead Prez talks us through his journey, favourite artists and how his diet was received all those years ago.
“So with that inspiration and my leg back in motion I was inspired to write be Healthy to share my gratitude for the lifestyle change. I thought I could convey it in a way that be relatable to the hood”
What inspired you to get into music/rapping?
My older brother Troy introduced me to my first rap vinyl. He was the coolest to me and whatever he was into I wanted to emulate him and his style. He told me that we would form a group, he would be the djay and I the rapper-I took that and ran with it and have been practicing the craft of emceeing since like 5th grade.
Who’s your favourite singer/artist?
John Coltrane, Sade, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Marley, Jay Z and Nakho Bear- never heard of Nahko? -google Dark as Night and thank me later, lol!
When you were starting out, did you have any particular aims and were they achieved?
Yeah we wanted to get signed to the same label that put out Wutang and Mobb Deep.
It was that gritty era and we moved from Florida to Brooklyn and endured homelessness in the process but eventually actually did get signed to the very label, Loud Records.We wanted to make the rawest realist most musical street yet socially proactive well rounded middle fingers up music we could make! We expected to make 1 album, and 10 projects or more later it’s still bigger than hip hop!
What made you write ‘Be Healthy’ and was it ahead of its time? How was it received by fans?
My wife was the catalyst for that record. Prior to that I had the average hip hop lifestyle of booze burgers and blunts and came down with gout in my early twenties as I talk about on my song “Bruce Lee”. She helped me convert to a vegan diet which healed the gout and cured it naturally. So with that inspiration and my leg back in motion I was inspired to write be Healthy to share my gratitude for the lifestyle change. I thought I could convey it in a way that be relatable to the hood. Little did I know veganism was such a worldwide phenomenon.
You always seem to try and rap consciously about topics that matter, is there anyone you think that does this well today?
I like the songwriting depth of Nakho Bear- album The Dark as Night, and Cody Chestnutt’s Landing in a Hundred those are two of my favorite albums that are in heavy rotation. I also listen to Hand Pan music a lot! I love a good movie score album as well. I like Ambient cinematic vibes.
Dead Prez's 'Bigger Than Hip Hop was released in 2000, yet it's still a huge hit.
Video Credit- Sway's Universe & Stic
Stic.Man is as fit as they come, he trains six days a week. Read on for his regime....
You have recently toured, what are your future plans for Dead Prez?
We are considering making a new album and also a tribute album of Let’s Get Free to celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of its release.
I have a solo record – a kind of spiritual exploration, if you will-that I’m working on with my son @Twezo who is an amazing producer -he is influenced by trap but plays the electric guitar and piano – so it’s a refreshing sound for me and a beautiful opportunity to create something special with my son.
Are you still working on the Workout 2?
Yes. It’s coming along slowly in waves. I respect the creative process. It comes in its right time and season. The thing is I don’t want it to be redundant and just a copy of the first Workout album I did so I’m living and catching new inspirations as they come. I want to do it justice and so I won’t rush it. It’s coming though. I’m amped about it.
When did you become vegan/plantbased and what made you choose this lifestyle?
That bout with gout in my early twenties was the beginning for me. It was a health imperative move. Switching to a plantbased lifestyle helped fuel my healing and inspired me to become a martial arts student, yogi, long distance runner and to eventually get certified as a coach by the RRCA.
I also wrote the book EAT PLANTS, LIFT IRON with my strength coach Scott Shetler and my wife Holistic Nutritionist Afya (who are both Vegans) where I added on 20lbs of muscle on a 100% vegan, supplement free, tree nut free and gluten free diet. The book details the nuts and bolts of how it worked what I ate and why we chose the exercises and training strategy we used.
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What type of foods are in your day-to-day diet?
While I have been a strict vegan for over ten years, today I’m plantbased but
I’m nutritionally agnostic. I’m always doing experiments for energy, digestion, performance and culinary creativity. We eat seasonally and organic about 90% of our diet. Due to health reasons and allergies I developed on a strict vegan diet, and not wanting to take artificial supplements, I follow my physicians TCM philosophy –and I do supplement with wild caught Alaskan salmon– I call my current diet Vegequarian.
I’ve had to be open, from my rigid stance and flow with my own instincts. So I’m open to changes and I’m not a dogmatic strict adherent to any one way of eating or living. I think plant based living is one of the best ways to eat and live but I’m not a zealot about it. Ya gotta go with what works and continue to learn and be open to the data and how things effect your body’s needs.
I love soups, vegan pho, green juices, beyond meat burgers, kombucha, sauerkraut, pumpkin seeds, apples, watermelons, spinach, coconut water, fresh jalapeños, brussels sprouts, Ethiopian, Thai, all kinds of nutritious ethnic foods. We have an organic garden in our backyard and a peach and apple tree. we are members of our local co opt and urban farms movement.
I’m currently on a 30 day 16/8 intermittent fasting regimen eating at 12n 4pm and 8pm only. Whew that was a lot when I actually type it all out lol. Pop tarts used to be so simple lol
What type of training do you do and how often?
I have a 6-7 day a week training lifestyle alternating:
- Distance Running
- Qi Gong
- Weight lifting
- Martial Arts
- Yoga
- Calisthenics
- Swimming
- Archery
- Hiking
- Hot and Cold Steam and Ice pool cycles
I do my Ab circuit daily when I wake and depending on the day of the week I have set time blocks for the above practices, it averages out to about 90minutes a day and sometimes more.
Also under our RBG FIT CLUB brand I started and lead a Men’s Outdoor Workout Series on first Sundays in Atlanta called THE OUTSIDERS that incorporates eclectic fitness practices, nature immersion, Qi Gong and meditation with men’s fellowship, networking and guy time.
Read the Home Workout Guide that we love, you can find everything you need to get fit from HOME!
How did people react to your vegan lifestyle in the early days?
Like I was a Christian turned Muslim, no… Atheist! Lol and then overtime I became the go to guy for that “healthy stuff” lol.
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Can you tell us more about RBG Fitclub?
Membership is free it’s all about embracing a holistically healthy lifestyle anchored in our 5 principles -Knowledge Nutrition Exercise Restoration and Consistency
– so all our online courses, events, merch and products, music and media communications and community service
-is all aimed at helping people relate and incorporate those 5ps into their daily practice.
We emphasis holistic health and not just physical fitness. Health Love Hustle and Play are the 4 areas of balance we focus on for well rounded wellbeing.
Any advice for newcomers to veganism?
Newcomers to veganism tend to have all sorts of questions about nutrition deficiencies and weight loss concerns and taste bud withdrawal lol etc so yes I have a shameless plug for my wife Afya: she gets it. she is an amazing Nutritionist and Educator and her books specialize in helping people make healthy, balanced, enjoyable Plantbased lifestyle transitions. So I def say grab her books VEGAN SOULFOOD GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, And THE VEGAN REMIX. They’re on Amazon and our www.RBGFITCLUB.com site as well. Any advice I’d give you would be syphoned off of her anyway lol.
Connect with Stic
Instagram– Stic of Dead Prez
Twitter– @SticRBG
Gym’s Site– www.rbgfitclub.com