One of the most useful pieces of wisdom I’ve acquired over the years is to closely monitor what goes into my body.
We all know the old saying, “You are what you eat.”
That’s why I’ve adopted a Vegan lifestyle and it’s why I eat primarily whole foods.
But I think this also goes for what you put into your mind. This might even be more important in a certain sense.
The media that you consume determines the type of person that you are. It wields a tremendous amount of influence over your thoughts, how you think about yourself, how you think about your situation, and your future.
Even when I was younger, I cared about the shit that I watched on TV, what I read, or the music I listened to.
Yeah I watched cartoons and music videos like everyone else, but I was obsessed with documentaries, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, boxing, and wrestling.
Because even back then I realized that my thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions were being controlled by all of it.
Don’t believe me? Think about the last time you played Grand Theft Auto.
If you spend a couple hours playing that game and then you get in your car, you really are tempted to drive like you do in that game.
The movies, TV shows, news articles, radio shows, YouTube channels, and music that you consume all influence you in even bigger, more impactful ways.
So what I wanted to do here is share a few of the best YouTube channels that I love.
I consume these channels’ media regularly because I feel that it teaches me something and has a positive influence on how I view myself, other people, and my future.
Specifically, I wanted to share channels that are run and hosted by other black YouTubers.
So here are 9 of my favorite channels.
CT Fletcher
If you’ve followed my own YouTube channel or my IG then you know how much love I have for pops, aka CT Fletcher. I would not be the man I am today without his guidance and influence. He has changed my life and given so much to me. His channel lets you experience that encouragement and love so make sure you check him if you haven’t already. If you need to get amped up for the gym or your day, check him out. If you’re feeling down or you’re doubting yourself, turn to CT Fletcher. His words will pick you up out of your misery, kick you in the ass, give you a bear hug, and send you out to crush shit. Click here to get to his channel.
Elliott Hulse
Elliot Hulse is approaching a decade of running a successful, positive, and empowering YouTube channel. Elliot is a smart guy and the information he gives is legit, well-researched, and well thought out. His channel is fascinating and his energy is contagious. He covers everything from dating and masculinity to lifting, meditation, personal improvement, and steroids. His honesty is refreshing to me and I love learning from him. Check him out here.
Chris Jones
I love Chris Jones’ channel, Pump Chasers. He’s got incredible, free content on bodybuilding, contest prep, fitness, and nutrition. His non-fitness content is also genuine and positive and shows you a glimpse into the life of a real, hardworking guy. He’s also a new dad and it’s just been awesome to see him grow into that. Go check him out for sure.
Breakfast Club
If you don’t know about the Breakfast Club, then you might be living under a rock. The Breakfast Club is one of the most popular morning radio shows in the country. The hosts of the show, DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne tha God, are all incredible, positive people that are putting good things out into the world. They talk a lot about the issues in the music, rap, and hip-hop communities and their perspectives are very enlightened. But what’s really let them make their mark is that they have real, honest conversations with some of the world’s biggest stars in the music industry. They pull no punches, they’re not afraid to ask the tough questions, and sometimes things get heated in their interviews. On top of all that, they give a ton of money to charity each year to benefit mental health awareness, which I think is fuckin awesome.
Simeon Panda
Simeon Panda is a beast. His YouTube channel is filled with free, valuable information to help you hit your physique, nutrition, and training goals. He’s got free workouts, encouragement, motivation, knowledge, and even more importantly: wisdom. Simeon and I do a podcast called Lions, Elephants, and Owls that you can check out here. He’s a great guy, I love working with him, and his you should absolutely check out his channel.
Ebro in the Morning
Influencers hold a lot of power in our society. In the black community, those influencers are often in the music industry. I think something that is very valuable is having open, honest, and “normal” conversations with these people. Another channel that I feel offers a transparent and clear look at those influencers is Ebro in the Morning. He keeps things real as fuck and asks a lot of these up-and-coming artists the questions that other mainstream hosts are too afraid to ask. They offer a great perspective and if you follow the music industry or listen to any of these artists, it’s a fascinating show to listen to. Here's their channel.
Ulisses Jr
Another guy out there working his ass off and making moves is Ulisses Jr. His channel is a testament to his insane work ethic, commitment, and dedication. You can find a ton of free information, instruction, and wisdom on his channel as well. He’s kind and engages with his fans in a way that demonstrates exactly how much he cares. I love his passion and he is someone that inspires me. Click here to get to his channel.
War Ready TV
We are all instinctively drawn to strength. Especially for men, being strong is something that is valuable to us and that we want for ourselves. My bro Big Rob is one of the strongest humans I know. His channel, War Ready, shows you his journey to strength and power. He puts up a ton of content on how to gain strength, he’s got free training for strength, and I love his old school, no holds barred style.
KSI
I love creativity. I love passion. It’s contagious to me. KSI is one YouTuber that you cannot ignore because of his creativity. His channel is filled with everything from music videos and pranks to fight training and soccer. He’s from the UK so his ideas and perspectives on the world, training, and how life works are unique to me. I enjoy exposing myself to a wide range of ideas and KSI is someone whose content helps me do that.
These are channels from other black YouTubers that I actually enjoy.
I personally consume more YouTube content than anything else on conventional television.
I just really wanted to shout them out and let them know that I appreciate them all.
As a fellow YouTuber, I hope my channel delivers the kind of quality content that I find here.
I find it to be a great platform to share some of my training tactics for the mind and body to whoever cares to listen.
So give these channels a watch, and if you like, you can check mine out as well at YouTube.com/MikeRashid.
