Weed and Hip-hop go hand in hand, just like it did with Jazz.
And just like Jazz musicians, Hip-hop artists catch a ton of flack not only for their prolific use of marijuana, but because of the lifestyle that’s often portrayed with it.
But hey, if weed helped Louis Armstrong is it really that bad?
Anyway, with yesterday being 4/20, this felt like a good time to talk about Hip-hop’s long and storied relationship with Cannabis and how rappers are revolutionizing the cannabis industry right before our very eyes.
They’ve done it with fashion. They’ve done it with alcohol. Now they’re doing it with weed.
But naturally, before we get into how rappers are changing the industry we should probably address the most obvious question first:
Why is Cannabis illegal?
Well.
In the early 1900s, it WAS legal and used for medicinal and personal purposes. However, in the 1930s, Harry Anslinger (head of the Bureau of Narcotics) wasn’t a big fan of cannabis and thought it was dangerous.
Between his influence and the propaganda that smoking weed leads to ‘Reefer Madness’ — a condition marked by violence and crime, the U.S. government passed the Marihuana Tax Act in 1937.
Technically the Tax Act didn’t make cannabis illegal, but the taxes were so expensive it became almost impossible to use or sell legally. Eventually, cannabis was classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which made it officially illegal.
Fast forward to the 60s…
America was in the midst of the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement was picking up steam. As the country dove deeper into uncertainty, “Flower Power” began to make its way into the mainstream. It was a movement dedicated entirely to peace & love, and its rise gave birth to Hippie counterculture. Their influence pushed the interest in cannabis to new heights.
It became so prolific in this era that famous musicians like Jimi Hendrix spoke openly about their marijuana usage and even created songs dedicated to it. On the back of the 60s & the 70s, America’s appreciation for pot reached new heights.
If we fast forward a bit more, that brings us to…
THE 90s
Fast forward to the early 90s, and California was the epicenter of Hip-hop culture. Death Row Records had the heavyweights Tupac, Dr. Dre. and Snoop under one label, but that would change by the mid-90s.
Dr. Dre would eventually opt to leave Death Row Records, and Snoop Dogg would choose to leave with him. Afterward, Dr. Dre began work on his first solo project that would change hip-hop forever and kick off 90s stoner culture in full effect:
The Chronic
Dre’s debut helped to form the modern lore of what we now see as stoner culture in hip-hop. In fact, while doing research you’ll see that the cover of the album is actually a recreation of the popular rolling papers by Zig-Zag
II. Cypress Hill Made a Statement
We cannot talk about cannabis and hip-hop without acknowledging Cypress HIll. Their raps, their persona, and affinity for marijuana helped influence a generation to become stoners.
With records like HIts from the Bong, and Dr. Greenthumb the group became undisputed advocates for Weed at a time where legalization was barely even a thought in anyone’s mind.
They wanted to make a statement about cannabis use with their music, so much so, they even received a lifetime ban from SNL for smoking live on air (seen below).
THEN STONER CULTURE WAS DEPICTED IN FILM
After leaving N.W.A. Ice Cube embarked on a solo career and with that came an interest in the film industry. His first film proved to be an undisputed classic in black cinema and the storytelling device of choice was weed.
Between Cube’s presence, the west coast influence, The Chronic being in stores and Cypress Hill on the scene, weed culture was all but cemented in Hip-hop. Friday became the visual cherry on top that gave people another piece of the lore to identify with.
II. METHOD MAN & REDMAN x ‘HOW HIGH’
In the early 2000s stoner culture was losing its team as a new generation of rap was being ushered in. It was super flat until Method and Red pumped life back into it with the classic stoner film “How High”
Fans already knew that Redman was a self-professed stoner (he credits Cypress Hill as a big influence) and Method had already established his affinity for marijuana during his days with the Wu-Tang. Because of them, a movie captured an entire generation just long enough for the next cannabis revolution in hip-hop occur.
The Blog Era: Return of the Stoner
In another piece I talked about how transformational the blog era was to hip-hop.
Its arrival brought rappers like J. Cole and Drake to the mainstream but it also brought us Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa, and with their ascent came the return of stoner culture in full force.
Curren$y Becomes The Stoned Immaculate
Curren$y brought stoner culture to a new generation of youth who were fresh off the hills of the snap era of music. Hip-hop culture commercially was centered on making catchy dance tunes that permeated the radio. Myths like the stoner were hard to see on a mainstream level.
After a brief stint with Young Money, Curren$y ditched gangsta rap for his other lane: lifestyle rap. After making the commitment musically, he expanded the lifestyle to include his own imprint: Jet Life.
Jet Life was aspirational. It was about wearing dope shoes, living a fly life, and smoking weed.
Curren$y quickly became a favorite amongst hip-hop fans who identified as weed smokers. To date, his brand Jet Life still a treasured brand, and Spitta is still going, still smoking.
Wiz Told Us To Smoke Kush w/ Orange Juice
Wiz gave the Blog Era one of its most defining projects with Kush and Orange Juice. With its arrival, came a new era of streetwear, music production, and stoner culture.
Legalization Changed Everything
After a few years it became readily apparent that Americans were changing their views on Marijuana. While the majority of the country continues to have it outlawed recreationally, states slowly began to legalize it medicinally, and towards the late 2010’s states like New York began legalize it recreationally.
California was the first state to make Marijuana legal recreationally. Because of that, artists like Cypress Hill made their foray into the recreational weed world, and their presence showed everyone what it could be.
As more states head towards legalization, many rappers are introducing strains to the market in partnership with cannabis holding companies.
The list of rappers is over 20 right now, including some of the ones we list below. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few that have risen to the top:
Currensy x Jetlag
Keeping in line with the lifestyle that he helped popularize, Curren$y created his own strain of weed entitled JetLag in late 2022.
Wiz Khalifa x Khalifa Kush
In 2014, Wiz brought Khalifa Kush to the market, where it became a part of dispensaries like Tryke’s Reef — where, according to the Khalifa Kush website, the first sales took place.
Over the years, Wiz has continued to push his marijuana line and has even expanded to different strains like “Khalifa Mints,” seen below.
Snoop Dogg x Leafs
Snoop is hip-hop’s favorite stoner so it’s only right that created his own line of cannabis under the name “Dogg Treats” in partnership with the Cannabis Growth Company.
The line itself includes edible treats, pre-roll, and more:
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL… RAPPERS ARE ALSO BUILDING CANNABIS EMPIRES
I. Berner x Cookies
Many rap fans know Berner as one of the rappers who signed to Wiz Khalifa’s
In 2010, Berner co-founded a company that would eventually become a 100 million-dollar unicorn in the cannabis industry named Cookies.
As Berner began to promote the brand along with Jai and Wiz, who frequently referenced cookies in his music, the brand began to have a stronghold on the culture. The strand Girl Scout Cookies became highly popular amongst rappers, and the Cookies brand continues its dominance in culture today.
II. Jay Z x Monogram
Jay-Z also stepped into the world of legal cannabis via a partnership with Caliva. Together they created his recreational brand entitled “Monogram.”
To support the new line, which include $50 hand-rolled joints, he launched a content series featuring prominent rappers talking about their history with weed. (See below for the Curren$y episode)
III. Diddy x Cresco Labs
Diddy announced late last year that he would be acquiring Cresco Labs for over $150 million. For those unfamiliar, Cresco is a large cannabis company that owns brands like Columbia Care (they have legal medicinal/recreational shops across the U.S.(
Although Diddy has yet to re-launch any of the brands associated with Cresco, it’s a major move for Black people moving into the weed space. And, if Diddy’s track record for bringing products to market tell us anything, then the sky’s the limit for his new venture.
WHERE DOES IT GO FROM HERE?
Weed & Hip-hop are going to continue to be close partners and as more states embrace legalization I suspect that more rappers will opt for creating their own cannabis brands over alcohol.
As for now, if that’s your vice enjoy it. If not, this isn’t an endorsement — mind you I’m not a smoker either.
Either way, it’s still dope to see the strides being made in the space. There’s definitely going to be more to come.
Peace.
