They stare out from magazine covers at the checkout aisle, their lyrics pumping through our headphones daily. As hip hop stars dominate pop culture, rappers occupy a crucial role in today’s youth culture. But beneath the bravado, are their lifestyles truly ones worth emulating?
Fitness expert Samir Becic believes celebrities have a duty to serve as positive influences. “Many feel pressured to attain an ‘unnatural’ look through dangerous shortcuts like steroids. But true health comes from sustainable habits, not fleeting aesthetics.”
For this year’s list, we searched far beyond photo ops, seeking emcees walking the walk of wellness. Through viral videos, interviews and Samir’s 30+ years of expertise, we narrowed our sights to 10 rappers proving fitness is a lifestyle, not just for looks.
For the first time since we started our rankings a decade ago, we have incorporated a vital component: mental health. Recognizing its significant influence on overall well-being, we have taken into account the mental health aspect while crafting this prestigious list. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that 1 in 5 Americans suffers from mental health illness, making it imperative to address this crucial aspect of health.
These wordsmiths show fighting flair doesn’t have to come at the cost of wellness. Whether overcoming medical hurdles or promoting balanced nutrition, they showcase health as a daily grind.
So scroll on to meet the lyricists leading by lifestyle. This top 10 puts pedal to the pavement to prove well-rounded winning ways. Hip hop’s biggest names are redefining success with sustainability at their core. Let the rankings begin – it’s time to see who’out Top 10 Fittest Rappers 2024 list in alphabetical order:
50 Cent
Fitness:
- In addition to doing endurance training to attain such a great body shape, 50 also lifts very heavy weights and works out for two to three hours every day.
- Monday: core workouts
- Tuesday: arms and chest
- Wednesday: Cardio training
- Thursday: legs and glutes
- Friday: Boxing and cardio
- Saturday: Full body strength
- Sunday: Rest day
Nutrition:
- His diet plan is pretty strict
- Although occasionally indulging in a cheesy sandwich and cranberry juice, which is his favorite food, 50 Cent embraces healthy eating, with anti-inflammatory foods and natural melatonin as keys.
- Beakfast: egg whites and a protein smoothie
- Lunch: lettuce chicken wraps and tart cranberry juice
- Dinner: filet mignon, steamed broccoli, and spinach salad.
- Supplement: Fat burner and natural sleep aid
Mental Health Practices:
- Typically, he is out of bed by 9 a.m. In his line of work—making music—that’s early. When he is in the middle of recording a record, he might be in the studio until 3 or 4 in the morning. But typically, Saturday nights he is in bed by 11:30 or midnight, and he’ll sleep a good nine hours to refresh his body.
- Even though he has changed tremendously over the last twenty years, Jackson has kept his same, unwavering work ethic and his commitment to both his physical and mental health.
- Unlike many other rappers, 50 Cent is renowned for being a non-drinker and non-smoker; preferring to keep a clear mind for Business ventures. Even if he is out at a club or having a party, he has a method of staying away from alcohol.
J. Cole
Fitness:
- Monday: Leg & lower body: 3-4 sets and 6-8 reps doing the machine leg extension, machine hamstring curls, dumbbell walking lunge, romanian deadlifts, lying leg curls, standing calf raises, barbell reverse lunge, and weighted donkey calf raise.
- Tuesday: Biceps and Triceps: 3-4 sets and 6-9 reps of incline dumbbell triceps extension, dumbbell alternate biceps curl, single-arm dumbbell preacher curl, cable rope push-down, EZ barbell reverse grip curl, dumbbell standing kickback, leant-forward EZ bar curl and barbell step-up.
- Wednesday: Arms, Chest, and Shoulders: 3-5 sets and 6-8 reps of incline chest press, renegade row, banded Push-ups, high to low cable fly, horizontal cable crossover, speed, bench press, plate press out and one-armed medicine ball push-ups
- Cardio Workouts: High-Intensity Interval Training/HIIT: chest cross arm swing, side bend stretch right side, hand walkout, lose grip chest press with crunch DB over the shoulder chops, lunge to split jumps, plank to hip dips and push-ups with shoulder taps
Nutrition:
- J. Cole’s diet plan is an entirely plant-based vegan diet regimen. Well most of the diet items that were being consumed by him were Vegan. He used to take lean protein, green vegetables and high fiber in his diet plan.
- Drinking an excessive amount of water is an obligatory component of J.Cole daily discipline.
- To maintain his health and fitness, he distanced himself from unhealthy products, like junk food, alcohol, sugar, and others.
- Breakfast: Blueberry oatmeal waffles, Tofu omelet and pearrific green smoothie
- Lunch: A bowl of brown rice, miso soup and mixed green salads
- Dinner: Broiled veggie bowl, avocado toast and lemony chickpea quinoa salad
- Snacks: Apple & kale chips and dry nuts & seeds
Mental Health Practices:
- J. Cole also shared how changing his interactions with social media has improved his overall wellbeing.
- J. Cole also does a lot of meditation to help improve his mental health.
Drake
Fitness:
- He credits his success to trainer Jonny Roxx, who has guided Drake to make remarkable progress throughout their years of training together.
- His Instagram posts chronicle his dedication to getting stronger through hard work.
- At the gym, Drake balances cardio with weight- and strength-training.
- He also enjoys getting more exercise by playing a ball game whether that be tennis, basketball, or soccer.
- Drake hits the gym for circuit training that consists of push ups, dips, and pullups in a 3:2:1 ratio. As Roxx recommended, you too can pull this off by starting with 3-2-1 reps for 10 rounds, resting 1 minute between rounds.
- Monday: Full body burn
- Tuesday: Cardio and Hoops
- Wednesday: Upper body
- Thursday: Cardio
- Friday: Core and Leg day
- Saturday and Sunday: Rest
Nutrition:
- Drake typically keeps his diet clean.
- He generally consumes low carbohydrate, medium fat high protein foods.
- Drake avoids pasta and other refined carbs when he’s trying to achieve his peak physical condition.
- Drake loves white wine spritzers, and they’re a great way to lower both the overall alcohol and calorie content of your drink.
- Breakfast is typically a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit or a four-egg omelet with vegetables
- Snacks consist of a protein shake or bar.
- Lunch includes fresh fish or lean chicken, stir-fried vegetables
- Dinner is usually lean beef, sweet potatoes, and a large bowl of leafy greens with olive oil
Mental Health Practices:
- Drake enjoys getting facials.
- Drake takes time to focus on his skin care and hair.
- He ensures to obtain quality sleep.
Eminem
Fitness:
- Eminem does a lot of cardio where he feels like he is obsessed with it. He runs on a treadmill and starts by doing two miles a day, then gets to four, and then to six, then ten, then fifteen, and lastly seventeen.
- He has hired a trainer.
- He often lifts weights.
- After Eminem decided to beef up his workouts and incorporate plyometrics and strength-training moves into his regimen, he did it all with the help of exercise DVDs at home, including Body Beast, Shaun T’s Insanity and P90X.
- Mondays are dedicated to cardio.
- Tuesdays are for back and biceps.
- Wednesdays he does legs and glutes
- Thursday he does a lot of boxing
- Fridays are typically for core training
Nutrition:
- Eats lean meats
- Replaced refined carbs with complex carbs
- Drinks diet coke instead of alcohol
- No longer uses drugs
- Eats lots of vegetables and fresh fruit
- Breakfast: egg whites, green juice, and kale smoothie
- Lunch: Turkey breast, grilled veggies, and bakes sweet potato
- Dinner: steak or fish with steamed veggies
- Supplements: Fat Burner, Whey Protein, and Melatonin
Mental Health Practices :
- Eminem has spoken about rapping about mental health and addiction in his music, calling it a “therapeutic” process.
- The artist has not been quiet about his troubles with drug addiction and psychological issues over the years.
- Eminem said ““Well, I think that’s one of the great things about rap music is that, you know, you could put so much of your life in it. I was just trying to figure out how to expand on that and I kinda got lost.”
LL Cool J
Fitness:
- LL was used to jumping off the bus in the middle of a desert for miles of road work, or scrambling over the fence of a high-school football field to do wind sprints followed by pullups on a goalpost.
- Part of the reason LL Cool J looks the way he does is that his trainer merges old-school exercises like bench presses and curls with “cardio blasts” that are created to give maximum results in minimum time.
- LL’s book synthesizes this one-of-a-kind “dinner with everything” blend with dumbbell bodybuilding as well as plyometric forces, fighting principles and tactics, and both calisthenic and cardio fads, all for the purpose of fiber-optic muscularity plus leanness.
- LL warms up for 5 to 10 minutes using a treadmill, a stationary bike, or some other cardio apparatus. Jumping jacks or running in place will also do the trick.
- While performing a circuit, LL does not stop to rest between exercises until he has completed the last move of the circuit. Rest for 1 1/2 minutes before doing the same circuit again. He does both chest/cardio circuits two times each. Both biceps/cardio circuits will be done three times each. Rest 1 1/2 minutes before moving on to the next circuit.
Nutrition:
- LL’s carb choices primarily consist of fruits and vegetables, as this healthy eater avoids refined junk like sweets, white rice, sugary cereals, etc.
- Fish is LL’s favorite flavor and a super source for powerful nutrients – make sure there’s always some healthy fat with the meal!
Mental Health:
- LL Cool J mentions that he typically gets around five to six hours of sleep per night. While this may be less than the recommended seven to eight hours for adults, he compensates with other forms of rest and recovery
- LL Cool J admits that short naps are an integral part of his daily schedule, comparing them to naps taken by kindergarteners. He’s been taking the naps forever, generally after eating a light lunch. Plus, it can heighten alertness and cognitive performance during the day.
- During his non-sleeping time, LL Cool J doesn’t necessarily rest. Instead, he will sometimes shut his eyes and picture in his mind what he wants to happen. The mental creation and relief can help relax oneself and can enhance concentration.
Logic
Fitness:
- Warm-up (5-10 minutes) of jumping jacks and dynamic stretches (arm circles, leg swings, etc.)
- Strength Training (3-4 times per week) of compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench press, bodyweight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, dips) and core exercises (planks, Russian twists, leg raises)
- Cardiovascular Exercise (3-4 times per week) of running, jogging, or cycling – High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions and jump rope or other cardio activities
- Flexibility and Mobility (Daily): Stretching exercises to improve flexibility, yoga or pilates for mobility and balance
- Rest and Recovery: adequate rest is crucial for recovery. Ensure you get enough sleep each night.
Nutrition:
- Logic maintain a balanced diet with a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats
- He stays hydrated by drinking enough water throughout the day.
- Breakfast: Whole grain oats with fruits (such as berries or bananas), greek yogurt or a plant-based alternative, scrambled eggs or tofu scramble and a piece of whole grain toast
- Mid-Morning Snack: Handful of mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.) and an apple or other fresh fruit
- Lunch: Grilled chicken breast or tofu, quinoa or brown rice, steamed or roasted vegetables (broccoli, carrots, bell peppers), and olive oil or avocado for healthy fats
- Afternoon Snack: Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus
- Dinner: Baked or grilled salmon or a plant-based protein source, sweet potatoes or whole-grain pasta, and mixed salad with a variety of colorful vegetables with olive oil-based dressing
Mental Health Practices:
- On the soundtrack “Anziety”, Logic describes one of his first experiences with mental illness when he underwent what doctors told him was an anxiety attack. The attack landed Logic in the hospital with a diagnosis of anxiety. As he researched anxiety, he didn’t feel that his experience matched the descriptions. He then started attending therapy to help reduce his anxiety.
Rick Ross
Fitness:
- Had 2 seizures in 2011 and decided to change his lifestyle
- Lost 100 pounds
- CrossFit (he calls it RossFit)
- Ross workout four days a week for 45 minutes each
- Upon waking in the morning, typically around 6 or 6:30, Ross completes a HIIT workout which stands for high intensity training, a minimum of 20-25 minutes, before he eats anything.
- The Burpee exercise is different. Ross says he is a late bloomer with the “Burpees – he calls it the Blurpees – and that’s what he loves to do the most, but those are what hurt the most. Those are the only things that will have his glutes and arms hurting for 2-3 days. Those are the ones that he loves to do the most but also the ones he believes are the most painful.
Nutrition:
- Did not change diet much, but now eats more fruit
- Still a lover of good food, Ross, who owns 25 Wingstops, watches his diet by balancing exercise, healthy snacks and pigging out.
- Ross tried to just throw healthy snacks in between the meals. That was really his trick, and just slowing down from the heavy meals as it got later in the day. But, during the day at 2 o’clock, he felt as if he could do what he wanted, eat what he wanted. But as it gets to 5 o’clock, 6 o’clock, he really shutting down for the day. Maybe at 9 or 10, he will eat a salad versus 2 in the morning while he is in the studio eating steaks, prime rib and everything else.
Mental Health Practices:
- The event that caused Ross to take care of himself by changing his diet and sleeping habits was when he suffered his first seizure.
- One of his biggest motivations is his family. He explains he wants to stay healthy to watch his kids grow up.
Big Sean
Fitness:
- A big part of Big Sean’s fitness routine is a strong strength training program. He takes part in weightlifting exercises to increase his lean muscle mass and overall strength. His program consists of compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, bench presses along with other reiterations to his upper body.
- Big Sean also includes functional training in his routine. Functional training consists of exercises that simulate real-life movements, increasing his body’s capability to do everyday activities. He would incorporate exercises with bands, large-scale balls, and bodyweight movements.
- Just as much as resistance training, Big Sean stresses the importance of cardiovascular exercise, which aims to improve cardiovascular fitness, increase endurance, and create thermogenesis. He does exercises like jogging, sprinting, stationary biking, HIIT (High-intensity interval training) circuits, etc.
- Stretching and mobility exercises are included in Big Sean’s routine for injury prevention and maintaining full range of motion. This can consist of Pilate’s, yoga, and dynamic stretching to increase flexibility and joint health.
- Consistency is a crucial element of Big Sean’s fitness success. Big Sean’s commitment and dedication are unwavering. He’s disciplined in adhering to his workout routine—he knows commitment and persistence is essential for long-term payoff.
Nutrition:
- Knows a lot about supplements and carries a special case on the road
- Big Sean places a significant emphasis on nutrition and the consumption of whole food.
- He focuses on lean proteins such as chicken, turkey and fish.
- His diet also consists of complex carbohydrates such as quinoa and brown rice.
- The source of his healthy fats come from foods like avocados, almonds and cashews.
- His fruit and vegetable intake consists of diverse amounts on a daily basis ensuring the consumption of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Big Sean’s diet is well rounded and balanced, guaranteeing that he is consuming the proper amount of essential nutrients on a daily basis.
Mental Health Practices:
- Recognizing the necessity, Sean eschews the music route for a path of meditation and spirituality, placing himself in therapy sessions—even sparking his father to experiment in the same thought process.
Kanye West
Fitness:
- Barry’s Bootcamp – alternates between weight and cardio training
- Jogs
- Works out 25 minutes per day ranging from strength training, cardiovascular, and core movements
- Although the rapper doesn’t actually have his own workout plan, he does have his own fitness routine with celebrity trainer, Don “DB” Brooks.
- Kanye concentrates on exercises that shape his muscles and decrease his weight. Frequently, Brooks includes multiple exercises, along with bands and balls into Kanye’s program and keeps the workout intense and controlled.
- Following a Don-A-Matrix signature style workout, Kanye’s workout is a full body cardio and strength routine, designed to burn body fat and build lean muscle mass.
Nutrition:
- 5 factor diet
- Since Kanye is no stranger to fad diets, it may not be a shock that he recently adopted a keto diet.
- The keto diet consists of cutting out carbs and only eating protein and fat. The goal is for your body to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs, so it can be beneficial for weight loss and insulin sensitivity, but it may lead to increased cardiovascular risks.
- In terms of West Indian-inspired cuisine, Wallace (chef) has cooked blueberry cream cheese French toast casserole, lobster tail, and chicken sausage, and while he’s excited about all the food, his jerk dishes– salmon, jerk chicken omelet, ribs– his been his favorite foods to eat so far.
Mental Health Practices:
- But after splitting and divorcing Kim Kardashian, he hightailed it to his Wyoming ranch. The lifestyle change allegedly means Kanye is less concerned about his health, and the rumor is the rapper isn’t exercising much these days.
- Kanye West is a family oriented man and enjoys being surrounded by his four kids. North the eldest of the four, Saint the second eldest, Psalm the 3rd eldest, and Chicago who is a year and a half old. Out of the four, Psalm spends most of her time with Kim rather than Kanye.
Jay-Z
Fitness:
- Works out with Marco Borges
- Total body workout
- Always varying his workouts Little rest between each set
- Focuses on cardio, interval training, abs, and a healthy diet
- Workout moves include squat and press, reverse lunges, cobra planks, push up into side plank, and heel touch crunches
- Jay-Z circuit exercises include 3-4 sets and 12-15 reps each.
Nutrition:
- Went on a vegan diet for 22 days
- Jay-Z’s diet is all about balance and he typically eats mostly healthy foods.
- Breakfast: egg whites, cottage cheese, and fruits
- Lunch: steamed vegetables and lean meat
- Dinner: lentils, green salad, and seafood
- Supplements: Protein shakes and vitamins
Mental Health Practices:
- Jay-Z understands how crucial self-care is, especially for someone enmeshed in ceaseless creation. These days, he cherishes the pauses that allow him to sharpen his mind, to replenish his spirit — breaks that reveal life’s other offerings, like family and friendship, art and sound, the peace and quiet it takes to take his time.
- Jay-Z takes vacations often to give him time to himself to decompress and relax.
