Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty
The RZA talked extensively about his meatless lifestyle in an interview, encouraging others to “let your natural body speak for you.”
The RZA has always been a reasoned mind on certain subjects, especially so when it comes to living a vegan lifestyle. The leader of the Wu-Tang Clan first started his meatless journey in the mid-1990s, dropping red meat as he recounted in his memoir The Tao of Wu: “I felt like an idiot — I would surely be able to come up with ideas of what to eat instead of dead meat? I thought to myself ‘I live, my flesh lives. Why would I want to eat something that’s dead?’ Starting from this day, I ate to live.” He would then cut out chicken and fish before dropping eggs and other dairy products from his diet. He spoke about that at length in a recent interview meant to encourage others to follow suit.
When asked about eliminating red meat in light of the current conversations about the environmental concerns about its production, The RZA replied: “For me, it was consciousness. It was just the awareness of life itself. It became almost illogical, almost unethical. Why does the animal have to die for me to live? And then learning that our digestive system really has a hard time digesting red meat. As I became more conscious, it started to make less and less and then no sense to eat a dead bird. To even eat a dead fish.”
Expounding further, The RZA stated that “We’ve been taught a lot of myths” when it comes to eating red meat. The 54-year-old artist also talked about the evolution of the Black community’s position. “For the Black community, health has been a struggle, from obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, all these different things that have plagued our community for some years,” he said. “I think as generations kept growing, you start seeing us drop certain things.
The RZA ended his interview with words of encouragement for those looking to take up a meatless lifestyle to help save the planet from the effects of climate change. “Start with one day a week at least. Moderate yourself. I didn’t go cold turkey. It took me years to get to veganism,” he said before adding, Let your natural body speak for you. But if you’re thinking about helping all of us, helping the world, at least knock out a couple of days a week.”
RZA Breaks Down His Vegan Lifestyle, Says “We’ve Been Taught A Lot of Myths” was originally published on hiphopwired.com
