#19 | Zuby on culture, fitness, and thinking for yourself

There’s a good chance you’ve first heard about Zuby through this tweet that went viral. It was featured on The Joe Rogan Experience, Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Ben Shapiro, RT, and other media outlets around the world, gaining millions of views. That is just the tip of the iceberg, however. He is an interesting guy with many talents and ambitions. Outspoken, authentic and self-assured, Zuby is a hip-hop artist who doesn’t shy away from expressing his perspective. Every lyric, chorus and statement proudly proclaims his beliefs – with a rare honesty that is refreshing, compelling and inspiring.​ Zuby was born in England and raised in Saudi Arabia. He attended an international school where he discovered his first obsession – art. He was ambitious even as a child, with dreams of becoming a cartoonist. His creative passion would eventually lead him down a different path. ​As a Computer Science undergraduate at Oxford University, Zuby started rapping and within months self-released his debut album “Commercial Underground.” His first single and music video “Steppin 2 Me” achieved local popularity, receiving radio spins and national TV airplay. After graduating, Zuby initially joined many of his university peers in the corporate world. But after 3 years of feeling restless, he left the stability of a “normal job” behind him to pursue his passion for music full-time in 2011. Since then, Zuby’s fan base and list of achievements have continued to grow. He has sold over 25,000 albums independently, created a successful merchandise line, founded a retail pop up shop and reached over 3 million YouTube views and 100,000 followers online. His “Zubstep” EP reached #12 on the iTunes Hip Hop Charts and he has become the highest funded UK based rapper on Kickstarter. Zuby is a masterful live performer who has toured the UK extensively, including headline tours in 2017 and 2018. He has graced stages in the USA, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and across Europe. His extensive performance resume also includes opening for several popular artists such as Akala, The Pharcyde and his favourite rapper, Tech N9ne. Chapters 00:00:00 – Going viral & Twitter mobs 00:13:05 – Perseverance 00:20:40 – Utilizing your gifts 00:30:55 – Fitness & writing a book 00:42:55 – Entrepreneurship, online and offline 01:06:05 – Clean living 01:12:17 – Words of wisdom Links Zuby’s websiteZuby’s merch shopZuby’s fitness bookZuby’s YoutubeZuby’s InstagramZuby’s TwitterZuby’s FacebookZuby’s music on Spotify This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com