Words by Jesse Serwer
Photo by Martei Korley
If you’ve ever seen Yellowman perform live, you know the artist behind “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng,” “Mad Over Me” and “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” puts his all into every show. At age 59, the Jamaican icon and cancer survivor is in the best shape of his life. After witnessing one particularly physical performance from him (in which he dropped down on all fours and did a 20-count of pushups, then flexed and kissed his muscles!), we had to inquire with King Yellow about how he keeps himself in such tip-top condition. He responded by inviting us over to his home outside of Kingston so we could see for ourselves.
There, the original King of Dancehall took us through his daily regimen: push-ups, dumbbell exercises, leg hops, pull-ups. “That’s the reason why you see me onstage with that energy,” Yellowman explains. “This is how I do it.” A consummate entertainer, Yellow guides us through his workout with humor and style, shouting out his favorite places around the world as he runs in place, poking fun at his manager for looking “something like a burger,” and dropping lyrics from a few of his classics.
So grab some weights, press play and get ready to break a sweat with the original King of Dancehall. And, for more workout tips from Yellow, check out the photo essay, “Body by Yellowman”
As Yellowman says, “I hope you like this workout. It’s good for you. Healthy. Natural. This is real, real energy.”