The untimely death of Heavy D has sent a shockwave to the hip-hop community. Undoubtedly, it's was a wake up call for rappers to start eating right and to stay healthy. New York rhyme-spitter Fat Joe has slimmed down considerably since his old-school days rapping in his Bronx neighborhood.

The 'Lean Back' rapper stresses that food can actually kill if taken in excess. "Food is like a legal drug," Joe explains to CNN. "You can take 50 cents and walk into the store and buy a Twinkie and get high. And it's killing people. You know how they say 'a crackhead or drug addict hits rock bottom'? I just hit rock bottom to where I just knew if I didn't make this lifestyle change, I was going to die."

At his heaviest, Fat Joe tipped the scale at a whopping 460 pounds. "I love to eat," he says. "If I could eat everything in the world and still be healthy or wouldn't catch a heart attack or stroke, I'd eat everything. I just can't. So I got to watch my health and take care of my family."

Since embarking on his healthy lifestyle, Fat Joe has lost 100 pounds, so far. His sudden weight loss also helped him win his personal war against diabetes. "I was a diabetic for 16 years, since I was 14," he says. "Being that I lost weight, no more diabetes. You don't have to lose your eyesight, cut off your toes, have a stroke, get kidney failure. You just just have to lose weight -- you know -- for most of the diabetes."

Although we like to call him "Slim Joe" here at the office, Fat Joe insists that he won't change his rap moniker anytime soon. We are proud of Fat Joe for being honest about his battle with food and being overweight. Keep losing those pounds, Joey!

Watch Fat Joe's Interview on CNN's 'The Human Factor'

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