Life after music: What some artists have done for second acts

For decades, Terminator X was the driving force behind Public Enemy's impactful hip-hop, his DJ skills and scratching integral to the group's signature sound. After leaving Public Enemy in 1998 and retiring from music the following year, Norman Rogers, his legal name, embarked on an unusual second act: raising emus on a 15-acre ranch in North Carolina.

This venture into agriculture lasted until the early 2000s, ultimately ending due to hurricane damage. The emus were dispersed, and the property is now home to goats. While Terminator X has returned to DJing, he now does so entirely on his own terms, a significant shift from his earlier career.

He is not alone in pursuing dramatic career changes after music. Jim Martin, guitarist for Faith No More during their peak in the late '80s and early '90s, found a new passion in competitive giant pumpkin growing after his departure from the band in 1993. Martin's gardening experiment evolved into a serious pursuit, culminating in growing a 1,087-pound pumpkin in 2005 and becoming one of the top five giant pumpkin growers in America.

Another notable transformation comes from Brian Cox, formerly of the English boy band D:REAM. After the band disbanded in 1997, Cox pursued his fascination with high-energy particle physics, earning a doctorate in philosophy and holding prestigious scientific chairs. He has since become a globally recognized physicist, working with CERN's Large Hadron Collider and hosting numerous television shows and documentaries.