He couldn’t dream past the options given to him until 1988 when pioneering rapper KRS-One changed his life with one song, 'My Philosophy.' He doesn’t remember anyone coming to the inner cities to give dietary insights. Read the rest of the stories here.īEFORE 51-YEAR-OLD Common became a vegan and an Oscar- and Grammy Award–winning vessel for Black stories, he was just Lonnie Rashid Lynn growing up in Chicago without any guidance on how to eat healthy.
This cover story is part of Hip-Hop Is Life, a series of profiles and features that revisit key moments in the intersection of hip-hop and Black men’s health over the last 50 years.