When Worlds Collide

There are a lot of things going wrong in the music industry right now.   Much of the controversy in the industry surrounds hip-hop music especially.  Some in the industry are turning negative energy around and thinking about positive long-term goals.  The positive that I’m talking about is with top hip-hop stars spreading the word about vegetarian and vegan living.

Seattle has long been ahead of the game with moving towards a more earth friendly way of living.  Many people there use public transportation, bike and drive electric or hybrid vehicles.  It’s no surprise that the hip-hop and vegan worlds could intersect in that city.  The University District has been a hotbed for hip-hop music in Seattle.  One store that caters specifically to this group is Hillside Quickie’s Vegan Sandwich Shop.  This shop has hosted the likes of Erykah Badu, Saul Williams, The Roots and Black Anger.  The focus of this sandwich shop is the promotion of healthy eating through vegan sandwiches but is also greatly influenced by hip-hop. 

New York is another city that is starting to get comparisons to Seattle’s connection of vegan and hip-hop.  Russell Simmons is the first hip-hop mogul in NYC to announce that he was vegan.  He has been working to help people gain awareness of what it means to be vegetarian and eat healthy not only in the hip-hop community but also in the African American community.  It’s been said that Russell might open a vegan restaurant in New York in the future.

It’s very refreshing to see that there are hip-hop artists willing to embrace their new health conscious style of living.  The people that look up to these artists as icons will hopefully take notice of their habits and start tossing the bad habits out the window.  The best quote from this article is referring to Biggie,” in his classic single, "Big Poppa" — and evidenced by his hefty frame — is probably rolling in his grave.”  This might be true but it is evidence that times are changing, hopefully for the better.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2001964629_hiphopvegan25.html

http://sipchatchow.com/index.php/2011/01/dinner-with-russell-simmons-his-vegan-sip-chat-chow/