Organic Produce

Will hip-hop studio king of the world Timbaland someday be Mr. Universe?

Comments (0) By Mosi Reeves Thursday, Apr 7 2005

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The couple then prescribed a strict no-sodium, high-protein diet (for building muscle mass). The proteins included organic whole chicken; fish such as tilapia, orange ruffy, and tuna; and ground turkey and egg whites. Then there were carbohydrates such as grains like oatmeal for breakfast and brown rice. For fats there were almonds, fish oils, and flaxseeds. The vegetables encompassed broccoli, spinach, and green and red peppers. All of this food was to be consumed six times a day alongside the aforementioned Physique Nutrition supplements and at least a gallon of Syfo carbonated water a day.

Garcia admits that the regimen is shockingly intense. Complicating matters was the fact that, as a musician, Timbaland doesn't have a regular schedule. He usually enters the studio at night and works until early in the morning. But Garcia remarks that Timbaland "has a phenomenal discipline. His willpower is amazing. Someone who has been heavy all of his life, and in the last few years of his life got even heavier ... his ultimate goal was to look and be in great shape.

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"He looks phenomenal today," continues Garcia. "But come two to three months from now, when he gets onstage to compete, that's when it'll blow people's minds." Still, doesn't Garcia think it's a little bizarre that a celebrity artist would want to enter the outlandish and somewhat strange world of competitive bodybuilding?

"Yeah, it is kinda unusual," he admits. "But you know what? It's very exciting to me, because taking a celebrity from one realm, like music, and taking him to the world of bodybuilding ... he could make bodybuilding a whole different thing now."

Timbaland correctly points out that staying fit, healthy, and muscular has almost become a requirement in the entertainment industry. Communicating an image of perfection, whether it is aesthetic, mental, or physical, is viewed as key to maintaining one's celebrity. For years the world of hip-hop and R&B was immune to this philosophy -- after all, one of the most popular rappers of all time, the Notorious B.I.G., was an overweight man known as "Big Poppa." But that's changing too. The new ideal is a rock-hard body such as 50 Cent's: muscular and literally capable of surviving bullet wounds. Notably, Timbaland says 50 Cent is the only new artist he truly admires.

Now Timbaland is well on his way to being a hard body too. Interestingly, he observes, "I don't think it's the actual weight loss. It's the willpower that people get fascinated by. It's so hard [to lose a lot of weight], they wonder, öHow do you do that?' Especially for females, females like that. They're like, öThis dude took the time out of his life to set a goal, and achieved it.' That drives a person to be closer to you because you achieved something they can't do."

With a new body and a new outlook on life, Timbaland hopes that his next album, a compilation that is already slated to feature friends such as Twista and Jay-Z, will be "way hotter" than anything else he's done. "There's going to be some jump," he promises. " Plus, how I look, that's what's going to kill it. Appearance is everything."