Body goals: 12 rappers who take fitness incredibly seriously
Health is wealth, especially when your job involves performing in front of thousands of fans. Artists like Big Sean and DDG emphasize weight training to build their strength, while “Big Energy” star Latto opts for toning exercises and cardio to keep in shape post-surgery. Regardless of how someone achieves their physique, maintaining it is no small feat — it takes dedication and hours in the gym.
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REVOLT rounded up a list of some of our 12 favorite rappers who take their fitness goals seriously. Check them out below.
1. Method Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcPn4On6T5k&pp=ygUSbWV0aG9kIG1hbiB3b3Jrb3V0
Method Man has come a long way from his Wu-Tang Clan days. In a 2023 interview with GQ, the Long Island native revealed his fitness and nutrition insights. While he enjoys everyday treats like Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kreme, these guilty pleasures are thoughtfully balanced within a diet focused on key macronutrients: proteins, carbs and fats.
Like many of us, Method Man enjoys his sweets, but his workout regimen is far from relaxed. Although the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate weekly exercise for adults ages 18 to 64, the “Power Book II: Ghost” star said that he commits to a “minimum of two hours” each training session.
2. Megan Thee Stallion
https://www.tiktok.com/@theestallion/video/7300333276613430559?lang=en
Megan Thee Stallion's workout routine is as fierce as her chart-topping tracks. On TikTok, she often shares videos that give fans a glimpse into her rigorous fitness regime, featuring everything from intense HIIT exercises to detailed weightlifting.
For cardio, the “Savage” hitmaker does sandhill sprints at the beach or logs 40 minutes on the StairMaster or elliptical machine. To sculpt her legs and thighs, she incorporates hip thrusts, goblet squats, leg extensions and her signature “stallion kicks.” The rap phenomenon focuses on weighted sit-ups for core strength, while lat pulldowns, lat flies and renegade rows are key for building her back muscles.
“Working on myself made me get into working out because I needed to focus my energy somewhere else,” Megan told Women’s Health. “I used working out to escape and to get happy.”
3. Kevin Gates
https://www.tiktok.com/@iamkevingates/video/7112880888853187882?lang=en
From making his All Elite Wrestling debut to facing off against GaTa on REVOLT’s “The Crew League,” Kevin Gates can be a workaholic at times. On TikTok, the rapper shared footage of himself doing dips and pull-ups as well as using an ab wheel. “Four sets of everything. The last set is until failure. This is the humbling part,” he captioned one video.
4. Big Sean
https://www.instagram.com/bigsean/reel/CVPG5lOg8xS/
On “What A Life” from his joint EP What You Expect with Hit-Boy, Big Sean claimed to be “in the best shape” of his life. His strenuous workout routine certainly confirms that statement. In 2021, the Detroit native took to Instagram to talk about the therapeutic role of fitness in managing his mental health. In the shared video, he's seen powering through exercises like pull-ups, barbell curls and leg extensions.
“Working out [has] definitely been keeping me sharp. I don’t think I could picture my life without it at this point,” Sean highlighted. “I had to make the time to dedicate at least one hour every other day to something that’s making me rich and giving peace in a whole different way.”
5. Cardi B
https://www.tiktok.com/@iamcardib/video/7220868916334333230
It’s hard to think of a time when Cardi B’s waist wasn’t snatched. Like several other women in Hip Hop, she’s been very transparent about her plastic-surgery procedures, openly discussing undergoing a breast lift, liposuction, as well as butt lifts and injections. Even after going under the knife, Cardi stresses that staying in top shape requires consistent workouts and dedication to fitness.
“My real goal is I want to be as stretchable and flexible as I was when I was a stripper," she humorously shared. "But you can't build Rome in a day." Elsewhere, the Grammy Award winner walked viewers through some of the many activities she does: weighted jumping jacks, pull-ups, Romanian deadlift and tons of stretching.
6. Gunna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0VdzlaSTf4&t=12s&ab_channel=TMZ
After nearly a year behind bars due to his involvement in Young Thug’s RICO case, Gunna came home nearly unrecognizable. The “fukumean” rapper lost nearly 40 pounds, thanks largely to a disciplined regimen of clean eating and regular workouts with a personal trainer. Interestingly, he credited a major part of his transformation to focusing on “lifting legs,” which he pointed out has been just as crucial as his overall consistency in the gym.
"Especially when I went to jail, I lost a lot of weight. Just cleansing, detoxing, and when I got home, I started working out and just keeping it fit. Now, I’m on a year straight of all working out,” Gunna explained to XXL.
7. Moneybagg Yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RNimbwJWGg&pp=ygUYbW9uZXliYWdnIHlvIG1lbnMgaGVhbHRo
For some people, looking great on social media is just as motivating as enhancing their overall well-being. “I get jealous because I’ll be on Instagram scrolling and see people working out. Their physique and body be coming right,” Moneybagg Yo admitted to Men’s Health. “I’ll be like, ‘I want to get like that.’"
The Memphis rapper also revamped his diet, swapping fast food for lean meats, fruits and protein shakes. He still lets himself indulge on cheat days at his own restaurant, Cache 42, by savoring dishes like tomahawk steak and buffalo shrimp. Moneybagg Yo’s training regimen is no joke either. His three to four weekly workouts include grueling cardio inside a sauna and strength exercises like squats and lunges.
8. DDG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBuI16wmyoc&pp=ygULZGRnIHdvcmtvdXQ%3D
Before DDG kickstarted his rap career, he was a boxer. Although a childhood shoulder injury put a pause on his aspirations, the sport still plays a pivotal role in the YouTuber-turned-musician’s fitness routine by helping him build stamina and breath control, both of which are essential for onstage performances. As shared in an episode of “Gym & Fridge,” DDG revealed that he mainly concentrates on upper body workouts to enhance what he refers to as his “vanity muscles.” The “Moonwalking in Calabasas” creator also admitted to hating leg day — a sentiment that many fitness enthusiasts can relate to.
9. Wiz Khalifa
https://www.instagram.com/p/C61SX-hL-Sy/?hl=en
Wiz Khalifa has gone viral quite a few times for his workouts. The Pennsylvania-based rapper told GQ that he works out a whopping five times a week, with his routine largely consisting of mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and cardio. “I honestly think smoking weed helps my wind a little better because I have breath control,” he joked. Meal-wise, the “Black and Yellow” hitmaker eats chicken and rice, steak and potatoes, and lots of vegetables.
10. Latto
https://www.tiktok.com/@latto777/video/7114108548170337582
Latto gets as much recognition for her beauty as she does for her music, and she's committed to keeping her game strong on all fronts. Though she’s admitted to getting a Brazilian butt lift in 2020 and liposuction, maintaining that shape still requires consistent effort and dedication. The “Lottery” artist walked fans through her workout routine on TikTok: 15 minutes of cardio, a mirror break, alternating circles, bicep curls and knee raises, among other exercises.
“If you look on my Instagram, you’ll see I’ve always worked out — before and after the surgery,” Latto said during her cover story with Cosmopolitan. “But I will leave early or not push myself as hard. Having a trainer holds you accountable.”
11. Busta Rhymes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SYSf2OlGRs&pp=ygUUYnVzdGEgcmh5bWVzIHdvcmtvdXQ%3D
Busta Rhymes dropped over 100 pounds since 2019, spurred by one particular health scare: sleep apnea. "The doctor told me that if I caught a cold or slept wrong that I could die," he said in a conversation with Men’s Health. "It felt like this was on me now, and I had to steer things in a different direction." According to the publication, Busta’s workouts include machine pullovers, cable flys, chest presses, hammer curls and more.
12. Slim Jxmmi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcliOBWTFbg&t=2s&pp=ygUWc2x4bSBqaW1taSBubyBzbGVlcGluZw%3D%3D
As one half of Rae Sremmurd, Slim Jxmmi has worked hard as both a lyricist and onstage performer. Despite the rap duo dominating the summer of 2014 with singles like “No Flex Zone” and “No Type,” the California artist is in better shape now than he was at the height of his career. During an episode of REVOLT’s “No Sleeping In The Trophy Room,” Slim Jxmmi showed that he’s stronger and faster than ever.
“I’m 30, and I feel younger than I ever did when I was 22. My energy is way better. I like the way I look. I like the way I feel,” the rapper told host Los Antonio. “I like fitness all-around. It just makes me feel good.”
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