These 7 Rappers Have Dropped the Mic on Meat

What’s a common theme amongst some of the top names in hip-hop? It’s not their hometowns, their favorite designers, car makers, sports teams, or even their musical inspiration (although, sometimes it is!). For these five stars at least, it’s living without meat or other animal products.

1. Snoop Dogg

The Doggfather himself just teamed up with Dunkin' Donuts to promote a new limited edition plant-based sausage breakfast offering, known as the ‘Beyond D-O-Double G Sandwich' named after the rapper. It's only selling from now through January 19th.

While not known to be purely plant-based, Snoop is embracing the plant-leaning stance in a big way. Snoop's foray into the pant-based culture last year when he became BFFs with Ironman and blogger Rich Roll, a famous vegan athlete who is an influencer in his own right. He was spotted at Atlanta's Slutty Vegan pop-up, too. Then, he got super chummy with Beyond Meat, driving a Beyond food truck around SoCal and serving up those meaty, plant-based burgers.

Now, he is plugging his sandwich for one week— note to vegan and plant-based eaters it does contain eggs and dairy! Still, this picture alone made it worth including. Courtesy of DD and Snoop. Look for the ads to start showing up everywhere!

2. Jermaine Dupri

This rapper, producer, and DJ won a Grammy for his 2006 R&B hit “We Belong Together,” bringing him to superstar status in the music world.  But his most personal victory came a few years later when he gave up all animal products for the sake of his health. Since then, he’s become an advocate for the vegan lifestyle and its many health benefits.

He’s so passionate about eating plant-based that he’s even spoken out about going vegan in campaigns for the animal rights group, PETA. Dupri will leave a studio session to go and find food that suits his vegan lifestyle, then rejoin the artists later, when everyone has eaten.

This vegan lifestyle has sparked several of his friends to ask him to take them to his favorite vegan food choices, and now he is known among his friends as an expert in where to eat vegan in cities like Paris and Miami, and of course his hometown of Atlanta. Dupri is not only a music influencer but a vegan food influencer as well!

3. RZA

Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA didn’t just help nine distinct rappers from New York become synonymous with hip-hop, he’s built an empire. And he’s also helped take plant-based eating mainstream.

The rapper has been vegan since the ‘90s and has influenced a number of his fellow Wu members to ditch animal products, too. Fellow Wu-mates GZA and Killah Priest don’t eat meat, either thanks to RZA.˜

4. Will.i.am

Rapper Will.i.am doesn’t just lead the Black Eyed Peas, he’s likely dining on them, too. After a health scare in 2018, the six-time Grammy award winner went fully plant-based. He said it changed his life, including leading to weight loss and improving his sleep.

In 2018 he told an interviewer that he had tinnitus, a disease that leads to full hearing loss but was hoping that his plant-based diet would keep him in optimal health. He identifies as vegan for his health, environmental reasons, and to end animal suffering. “I’m fighting for a healthier me and a healthier planet." Last year the rapper told Arianna Huffington: “I would encourage everybody to have a plant-based regiment.”

Born William James Adams, he has written about his vegan lifestyle in “Vibrations pt.1 pt.2,” with the lyrics: “You eat the yellowtail, Imma [sic] eat the plant-based. I ain’t chewing on no food, with two eyes and a face,” He also raps: “Got a new attitude, gotta stay elevated. If somebody hate, let them hate and kinda motivate.” He urges his fans to join his “V.Gang,” which he defines as “a group of people taking a hardcore gangster approach to wellness and [conscious] living.”

5. A$AP Rocky

The “Babushka Boi” first gave up meat in 2011 (he still ate fish). But these days, he’s getting all of his protein needs from plants. According to the rapper, being plant-based helps him feel clean in his body, mind, and soul.

His lyrics mention begin vegan and he talks about being vegan on the road in a Facebook video here. His diet shift has been so profound that Rocky even recently partnered up with Jaden Smith to help provide veggie meals to the homeless through Smith’s I Love You food truck in LA.

6. KRS-One

A pioneer in the rap world as the frontman for Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One is nothing short of a legend. He’s incorporated the vegan diet into his lyrics (the song “Beef” explores the meat industry’s dark side). And he’s talked openly about it during his performances, too. If you want to go hear KRS-One he is also on tour this year, heading to the Sony Hall in NYC soon.

7. JAY-Z

Also known as Mr. Béyonce Knowles and his birth name, Shawn Carter, JAY-Z has leaned into the plant-based state of mind in a major way.

Last year, Bey and Jay offered their fans a chance to win a lifetime's worth of concert tickets just for pledging to eat more plant-based food as part of the Greenprint program helmed by their trainer and vegan chef, Marco Borges. The Carters also penned the intro to his book, "The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World," which was released in December 2018. JAY-Z also took the pledge to heart. He committed to eating two plant-based meals a day. He's also an investor in Impossible Foods.