What do you think?
Rate this book
The 5 Principles: A Revolutionary Path to Health, Inner Wealth, and Knowledge of Self
Award-winning rapper, producer, and champion of healthy living — Khnum Ibomu, widely known as ‘Stic’ from the revolutionary but gangsta hip hop duo, dead prez, has inspired millions with his music and lifestyle. But he wasn’t always the people’s champ of healthy living in hip hop.
As a young aspiring rapper on the rise in the late nineties, Stic was no stranger to the typical self-destructive lifestyle habits of excessive drinking, abusing weed, poor dietary choices, and enduring many stressful days and sleepless nights. And ultimately his health paid the price, resulting in a dangerous diagnosis: gout.
Confronted with the choice to continue the cycle of suffering or make revolutionary changes, Stic set out to profoundly transform his lifestyle. In the three decades since, stic’s consistent dedication to mental, physical and spiritual fitness and continuous personal growth has led him to found the inspirational healthy lifestyle brand and cultural movement, RBG FIT CLUB, and pioneer his own ground-breaking genre of music called “Fit Hop.”
In The 5 Principles, he now brings the lessons he's learned to a wider audience. Stic’s relatable, non-preachy, proactive and integrative approach to wellness is centered around 5 principles:
Knowledge
Nutrition
Exercise
Rest
Consistency
The 5 Principles empowers readers to experience the wealth of wellbeing via numerous tools, processes, practices, principles, and disciplines that Stic has lived and learned.
As a young aspiring rapper on the rise in the late nineties, Stic was no stranger to the typical self-destructive lifestyle habits of excessive drinking, abusing weed, poor dietary choices, and enduring many stressful days and sleepless nights. And ultimately his health paid the price, resulting in a dangerous diagnosis: gout.
Confronted with the choice to continue the cycle of suffering or make revolutionary changes, Stic set out to profoundly transform his lifestyle. In the three decades since, stic’s consistent dedication to mental, physical and spiritual fitness and continuous personal growth has led him to found the inspirational healthy lifestyle brand and cultural movement, RBG FIT CLUB, and pioneer his own ground-breaking genre of music called “Fit Hop.”
In The 5 Principles, he now brings the lessons he's learned to a wider audience. Stic’s relatable, non-preachy, proactive and integrative approach to wellness is centered around 5 principles:
Knowledge
Nutrition
Exercise
Rest
Consistency
The 5 Principles empowers readers to experience the wealth of wellbeing via numerous tools, processes, practices, principles, and disciplines that Stic has lived and learned.
- GenresSelf Help
336 pages, Hardcover
Published October 18, 2022
13 people are currently reading
1094 people want to read
About the author
Stic.man
6 books7 followersKhnum Muata Ibomu (born Clayton Gavin, March 6, 1974), better known by his stage name stic.man and more recently as stic, is an American rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo dead prez with M-1.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 5, 2022
I remember first listening to dead prez - I was drawn to their awareness, intersectionality, and progressive lyrics working with classic 90s\2000s sounding hip hop beats and melodies. To think Let’s Get Free was released in 2000, pre 9/11, is even more bewildering (look at lyrics of Propaganda).
I was really excited about this memoir - to dig deeper into the mind behind some of my favorite music. I’ve very much appreciated his criticism in the past of the mainstream hip hop industry, arguing that rappers are caught up in petty capitalist ideals, flaunting money and objectifying women, concerned with emulating CEOs more than acting out against the system that allows them to exist. (“You would rather have a Lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance?”)
All in all I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Stic and Erykah Badu’s friendship as young musicians in Brooklyn, as well as his holistic practices and dedication to martial arts. Also overcoming gout and then running a marathon? Pretty astounding. Stic talks of his inspirations, from Bruce Lee to Muhammad Ali to people he’s met along his journey. But Stic, and his journey from prison to a healthy holistic life shared with a loving partner, is inspirational itself, and I wish this book read more like a memoir than a step by step guide.
I was really excited about this memoir - to dig deeper into the mind behind some of my favorite music. I’ve very much appreciated his criticism in the past of the mainstream hip hop industry, arguing that rappers are caught up in petty capitalist ideals, flaunting money and objectifying women, concerned with emulating CEOs more than acting out against the system that allows them to exist. (“You would rather have a Lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance?”)
All in all I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Stic and Erykah Badu’s friendship as young musicians in Brooklyn, as well as his holistic practices and dedication to martial arts. Also overcoming gout and then running a marathon? Pretty astounding. Stic talks of his inspirations, from Bruce Lee to Muhammad Ali to people he’s met along his journey. But Stic, and his journey from prison to a healthy holistic life shared with a loving partner, is inspirational itself, and I wish this book read more like a memoir than a step by step guide.
September 2, 2023
I have been a fan of Stic since I first heard him on dead prez’s debut album, Let’s Get Free. Their song, Be Healthy, was pivotal in my journey of connecting education about food with the food we actually put into our bodies. Over the last few years, I have followed Stic as he started RBG Fit Club and pioneered the genre of Fit Hop. All this made buying Stic’s book a no-brainer for me. I read through the book slower than most books, as I wanted to give each of the principles time to rest and resonate. I enjoyed the way that Stic used his own story and journey as the source material for the five principles that he shared in this book. I won’t say anything more for fear of dropping spoilers. But if you want to be inspired or are looking for guidance on your health journey, this book is a must-read.
October 30, 2022
A solid read from a leading voice of the health-conscious “Fit-Hop” movement, Khnum “stic” Ibomu aka stic.man of hip hop group Dead Prez. A solid read to expand the conversation about taking care of ones health physically, mentally and emotionally. This book didn’t necessarily teach me anything new but served as a reminder to prioritize health and wellness.
May 15, 2023
As many around here I got to 'Stic' through Dead Prez, about 10 years ago. Political rap has been always my kind of music. About 5 years later I noticed that the messages of Stic were not anymore onlu about fighting the system but *also* about living well, taking care of one self and the others. Doing these things will allow the body to take care of us when we do our political activities. A powerful image that symbolizes this is the image of Huey P Newton (Black Panther Party) in the lotus position mediating and getting ready.
This book is a great summary of Stic's journey going from *just* an exemplary political rappper to a wellness activist. Moreover, this book are the notes of somebody that understand that taking care of our bodies is also a political activity that makes us live coherently with our principles but also prepares our mind and body to fight.
Although I know that Stic's knows the connection between political activitism and wellness, as I just mentioned, I got the feeling that in most of the book he focuses *only* in the latter. I understand that he is aiming to get to a broader audience that might not be interested in a radical political message about wellness. But, I missed that this connection between the two was not something transversal to the five principles.
In any case it is a great book, and also a great manual. It is a tool that you can start using from day one when you start reading it. It comes with breathing exercises, Xi gong principles, cooking recipes! and much more!
This book is a great summary of Stic's journey going from *just* an exemplary political rappper to a wellness activist. Moreover, this book are the notes of somebody that understand that taking care of our bodies is also a political activity that makes us live coherently with our principles but also prepares our mind and body to fight.
Although I know that Stic's knows the connection between political activitism and wellness, as I just mentioned, I got the feeling that in most of the book he focuses *only* in the latter. I understand that he is aiming to get to a broader audience that might not be interested in a radical political message about wellness. But, I missed that this connection between the two was not something transversal to the five principles.
In any case it is a great book, and also a great manual. It is a tool that you can start using from day one when you start reading it. It comes with breathing exercises, Xi gong principles, cooking recipes! and much more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2023
The book pleasantly surprised me. I was shocked I had never heard of it considering I love a good self help/motivational book. In this book, he introduces and breaks down his 5 principles to living a better life. Those are mindset, nutrition, exercise, rest, and consistency. He talks about his own story and struggles and how he found that the application of these principles changed his life completely. He incorporates some Eastern and African philosophies which I thought were cool, but as someone with a low attention span, these parts of the book got boring to me. I overall loved this book and would recommend to anyone wanting to take steps to improve their well being, both physically and mentally.
November 6, 2022
The book, The 5 Principles, by Stic, arrived to me at the “exact” time I needed it most! Such a vibe within the pages.
Stic’s transparency into his Life’s Journey is such a smooth and easy read. Packed with so many gems, I only read 10 pages at a time, so that I can receive the messages with the intention that it’s given.
For anyone looking to find and become the best versions of themselves… I suggest you go cop this book ASAP!
I have about a week before I’m done the book completely. Then I’m scooping up the audiobook!
Keep raising the bar Stic! Can’t wait for what’s next!
Stic’s transparency into his Life’s Journey is such a smooth and easy read. Packed with so many gems, I only read 10 pages at a time, so that I can receive the messages with the intention that it’s given.
For anyone looking to find and become the best versions of themselves… I suggest you go cop this book ASAP!
I have about a week before I’m done the book completely. Then I’m scooping up the audiobook!
Keep raising the bar Stic! Can’t wait for what’s next!
March 21, 2023
The power question
Questions that are engaging, thought provoking, and open up empowering options
Instead of I don’t like working out
—>What’s something I can do to enjoy working out?
Reframing perspectives
What perspectives are shaped by your conditioned self identity?
I.e. T saying - I’m a giver and I overthink because of my messed up early three years of childhood
What other ways might also work?
What patterns am I repeating that are no longer serving me and the others around me?
Questions that are engaging, thought provoking, and open up empowering options
Instead of I don’t like working out
—>What’s something I can do to enjoy working out?
Reframing perspectives
What perspectives are shaped by your conditioned self identity?
I.e. T saying - I’m a giver and I overthink because of my messed up early three years of childhood
What other ways might also work?
What patterns am I repeating that are no longer serving me and the others around me?
November 4, 2022
Everything he said resonated with me. I've been a vegeatarian for 30 years and I thought I knew all there was to know about it, but I was wrong! I gained insight into different food combos and nutritious options. I am so inspired by his journey and I have begun implementing his methods into my daily practice. I feel so good! I highly recommend this book!!
January 27, 2023
Recommended Reading!
June 5, 2023
Highly rec come needed if you have an interest in health, nutrition,fitness and hip hop!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews