RZA on why vegan is the new cool: “They were just glowing”
RZA is a hip-hop icon, and as a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, he is definitely well respected in the culture. From ‘Protect Ya Neck’ to ‘Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit’ when the producer is dedicated to something, he doesn’t joke, and RZA isn’t messing around when it comes to veganism now.
Although it’s not the norm, RZA has become one of hip-hop’s most vocal advocates for veganism and, outside of music, has dedicated a lot of time and energy to the cause and is determined to increase access to plant-based cuisine in Black communities and show why veganism is the new cool.
RZA knows better than anybody that hip-hop is a vehicle for social change and an art form that can enhance social consciousness. As a result, he has decided to use his place in the culture to spread the message of veganism and continue the momentum that currently sees African Americans as the fastest-growing demographic of vegans in the US.
That said, RZA and numerous other members of the Wu-Tang Clan are not the only people pushing the cause, and even figures like KRS-One have long been leading attempts to create awareness of the plant-based lifestyle.
Strangely, RZA was a vegan long before mainstream society had even heard the term, let alone tried it. Opening up about his vegan journey to Bon Appétit, the producer revealed, “I started in 1995, when I stopped eating red meat. I kept eating my turkey burgers and my chicken nuggets, but then in 1996—I think we were recording the GZA’s album—after that album, I had to stop eating poultry.”
The ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ beatmaker then revealed he still ate fish for a while, continuing, “I still couldn’t resist fried fish, but after my last fish fry in ’98, I let go of that, and then it took me up to the year 2000 to let go of that New York pizza. It was a gradual thing, and you don’t have to do it all at once.”
RZA made a massive revelation and told the publication that, currently, the majority of the Wu-Tang Clan are vegan, and so are their families. Speaking about himself and his own family, RZA disclosed, “I feel so healthy, and I look at my own family as an example. I’ve got a son who’s 15 years old and has never had a piece of meat in his life. All my children have lived this lifestyle and are very healthy, strong, smart, intelligent, talented kids.”
He then spoke about other crew members, detailing, “I go to my Wu-Tang brothers and see the same thing. You go to GZA’s family, you’ll see it. You go to Masta Killa’s family, you’ll see it. Mathematics brought his daughters to one of the shows, and they were just glowing. And they’ve never had meat.”
Still, despite the love of BBQ, mac’ n’ cheese, fried chicken, and other non-vegan foods prevalent in the African-American community, RZA still believes perceptions are changing. Describing how views have slowly transformed, the Digital Bullet creator stated, “At one point, people thought veganism was preppy, but it’s shifted, and I think hip-hop has helped. You see some of the hip-hop heroes being conscious of their diet and sharing it in their lyrics and in their lifestyles because there’s truth to it.”
He finalised, “I think that consciousness is growing, and Black men are saying to themselves, ‘Yo, I don’t need it. I feel better.’ I think we are getting away from it being stereotypically uncool to be healthy.”