Chuck D’s secret to staying healthy at 63 years old might not be what you’re expecting.
The New York rapper, visual artist and activist has been a devotee of Pilates for the past 12 years, and he credits the repetitive resistance-training exercises with helping him continue to perform Public Enemy and Prophets of Rage songs at a high level.
This Tuesday, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chuck D and longtime Ventura, California-based instructor Cathy Lopez will release their book, RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age. A quasi-manual of exercises the pair will share, RAPilates is aimed at both experienced practitioners and novices, especially those who may never have considered the body-conditioning exercise “not for me.” The illustrated book is a comprehensive introduction to the regimen purported to be the RAPilates mat program, and is being published by Chuck D’s Brooklyn-based publisher Akasic Books and his new imprint, Enemy Books, which he launched in 2023.
Chuck D, whose real name is Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, said people are impressed with his fitness prowess at this point in his career. “But this is a lifestyle, this is a regime,” he said in a phone interview with the Globe. “It’s not like you do this and all of a sudden you transform overnight.”
He now trains two to three times a week, but is careful not to overdo it. He says the consistency has strengthened his core and diaphragm, which in turn helps him control his breathing and improve his stamina when bouncing around on stage. According to Chuck D, these two benefits, along with the inherent meditative nature of Pilates, make it an ideal program for any professional.
The book’s 33 exercises range in difficulty from simple sit-ups and leg raises and flexes to full-body challenges like the “Fight the Power” double-leg stretch, in which you lie on your stomach and reach your arms and legs skyward. (Not all of the exercises are named after songs, but many will pique the interest of fans who can’t “Stretch ‘Em Out. Stretch ‘Em Out. Stretch ‘Em Out!” without being transported back to 1994.) Each mat-based exercise is accompanied by tips, a list of physical benefits, and easy-to-follow expressionist sketches that are the Grammy-winning rap artist’s signature style. In addition to music, Chuck D is an accomplished illustrator with a BFA in graphic design. (He designed Public Enemy’s original logo.)
Chuck D says his training routine used to consist of basketball games and nightly performances, but when he was in his early 50s, his wife encouraged him to try Pilates as a way to stay fit when he wasn’t on tour.
Pilates, the exercise itself, has waxed and waned in mainstream popularity since the 1990s, but it’s often referred to as “exercise for women” because its graceful, slow movements lead to lean muscles and slender limbs. Chuck D. acknowledges potential concerns for beginners in the introduction to his book, writing, “Some men find that attending a class with Olympian women is both humbling and inspiring.”
He also warned not to underestimate the intensity and strength required for this workout, and urged men who are new to Pilates (and perhaps skeptical) to approach the practice with respect, or they may be shocked by how surprisingly tough the workout is.
“The moment you start thinking it’s girly, you realize you’re your own biggest enemy,” Chuck D told the Globe. “You have to approach it with humility.”
In addition to the physical benefits, Chuck D says his Pilates practice sharpens his mind, though he adds that it still requires discipline (“I hate every minute of it, but I love every minute of it,” a line he hears multiple times during the interview). But after nearly four decades of touring wearing itself out, with no end in sight (last week it was announced that Public Enemy will join Big E’s lineup in September, with their On the Grid 35th anniversary tour heading to Australia afterward), Chuck D says prioritizing fitness is non-negotiable.
“Either you do the song, or the song moves you,” he said.
Henry Bova can be contacted at henry.bova@globe.com.
