50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris & More Explain Why 'Hip Hop Is Life'

These Hip-Hop icons are embracing the moments that helped get them into the best shape of their lives.

On Tuesday, August 1, Men's Health magazine revealed its Hip-Hop 50 cover featuring 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Common, Ludacris, Method Man and Wiz Khalifa. The magazine's new "Hip-Hop Is Life" series allows all six artists to tell their own stories about how they prioritized their health. 50 Cent kicks off the series by revisiting the time he was hit nine times during a shooting that nearly claimed his life. Although he was an avid boxer, the New York rapper explained the incident truly encouraged him to stay in shape.

“It’s more important to get back in shape now than it was then. Simply because I’m getting older. It’s harder," 50 Cent explains. “I’m also working out to get myself stronger, ’cause who’s to say you’re not gonna get hit again?”

The series continues with Busta Rhymes, who details the reason why he strives to remain jacked. He explains that his father was "diesel" and built a gym in the basement of their home. Despite his dedication to pumping iron, the "Beach Ball" rapper's weight has fluctuated over the years. At one point, Busta shares the one intimate moment that truly inspired him to slim down.

“I was having a really difficult time breathing, so I got up and I walked out of the bedroom so she wouldn’t panic seeing me trying to keep myself calm," Busta admits. "I was trying to inhale, and it felt like it wasn’t working. I felt like I was having like an asthma attack—but I don’t have asthma. So I walked out of the bedroom and went into the living room, and I was forcing myself to inhale, to relax. That was scaring me so much that it was a mindf*ck, because I had to stay calm and make sure she didn’t hear me panic or hear me struggle to breathe. I’m butt-ass naked in the living room, trying to calm myself down. When I came back in the room once I got right, I laid back down next to her and she said something to me that really f*cked me up. She was like, ‘Yo, this is not who I fell in love with.’ She didn’t know what had happened outside, but she was looking at my body and the weight. She was like, ‘You gotta lose this weight. This breathing is scaring me. When I met you, you wasn’t like a musclehead, but you, you was slim, you was cut, you had your sh*t right. I need you to get back to who I fell in love with.’”

Meanwhile, Method Man opens up about his battle with anxiety and depression. Ludacris reveals martial arts is his preferred method of therapy, Wiz Khalifa shares his workout secrets, and Common details his thoughts on unionizing Hip-Hop and past struggles with alcoholism. Read all their eye-opening stories right now.