Hip-hop has marijuana to thank for some of the best songs to ever come from the genre. Whether the weed actually shows up in the song or it was an inspiration in the studio, it’s been the fuel behind some of rap’s greatest records. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are some of the most famous enthusiasts to put their love on wax, but even admitted non-smokers like 50 Cent can acknowledge the potency of a powerful weed anthem. Most songs about weed are based more on feel and production, but read below for some of our favorite rhymes about the herb.
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, “The Next Episode”
“Hey-ay-ay-ay/Smoke weed every day.”
Simple, yet profound. Nate Dogg’s a cappella sign-off from Dr. Dre’s 2001 banger “The Next Episode” is as iconic as weed lyrics get.
“Hey-ay-ay-ay/Smoke weed every day.”
Simple, yet profound. Nate Dogg’s a cappella sign-off from Dr. Dre’s 2001 banger “The Next Episode” is as iconic as weed lyrics get.
50 Cent, “High All The Time”
“Every time I roll up, n-ggas holla ‘Roll up!’ And I tell ‘em hold up, you ain’t getting money you ain’t smoking/in my Benzo, 20 inch Lorenzo’s, smoking on indo, high as a motherfucker”
50 Cent admitted that he doesn’t smoke or drink, but this weed anthem is still a highlight from his classic Shady/Aftermath debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. And anyone can relate to folks who mooch on the weed without pitching in.
50 Cent admitted that he doesn’t smoke or drink, but this weed anthem is still a highlight from his classic Shady/Aftermath debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. And anyone can relate to folks who mooch on the weed without pitching in.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, “Weed Song”
“If everybody smoked a blunt, relieve the mind, the world could be a better place/if everybody took a break and we all just got wasted”
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony had plenty of weed songs during their prime period during the mid-90s, but this gem from their 2000 comeback albumBTNHResurrection has rhymes like this eloquent, unifying bar.
“If everybody smoked a blunt, relieve the mind, the world could be a better place/if everybody took a break and we all just got wasted”
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony had plenty of weed songs during their prime period during the mid-90s, but this gem from their 2000 comeback albumBTNHResurrection has rhymes like this eloquent, unifying bar.
Method Man & Redman, “How High”
“Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane/it’s the Funk Doctor spot smoking Buddha on a train/how high? So high so I can kiss the sky/how sick, so sick that you can suck my dick”
Redman and Method Man are two of the most affable, talented weed smokers in rap. “How High” was their first official song together, and later became a remix for their album Blackout! and a film starring both of them.
Redman and Method Man are two of the most affable, talented weed smokers in rap. “How High” was their first official song together, and later became a remix for their album Blackout! and a film starring both of them.
Pharcyde, “Pass The Pipe”
“The only itch I have is for the indo or sess/So don't pass me that mess/or even try to protest/that it’s adding to the flavor, ‘cause the old one was fine/won’t you pack the pipe and keep it moving down the line”
After turning down a blunt because it has tobacco in it, he clarifies that the only thing he wants to smoke is pure weed. “If I wanted to smoke tobacco, I’d get a skinny white bitch,” he says a few lines before.
“The only itch I have is for the indo or sess/So don't pass me that mess/or even try to protest/that it’s adding to the flavor, ‘cause the old one was fine/won’t you pack the pipe and keep it moving down the line”
After turning down a blunt because it has tobacco in it, he clarifies that the only thing he wants to smoke is pure weed. “If I wanted to smoke tobacco, I’d get a skinny white bitch,” he says a few lines before.
OutKast, “Crumblin’ Erb”
“Jane is rolled up, no gangs be throwed up/but still Andre got action, they Sweat like Keith, all on my teeth”
OutKast’s “Crumblin Erb,” the classic weed anthem from their debutSouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik is full of quotables, but Andre’s opening verse perfectly sets up the rest of the song for he and Big Boi to wax poetic.
OutKast’s “Crumblin Erb,” the classic weed anthem from their debutSouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik is full of quotables, but Andre’s opening verse perfectly sets up the rest of the song for he and Big Boi to wax poetic.
Devin The Dude, “Doobie Ashtray”
“What you gonna do when the people go home/and you wanna smoke weed, but the reefer’s all gone/and somebody had the nerve to take the herb/up out the doobie ashtray/why they do me that way?”
On this somber, DJ Premier-laced classic from his album Just Tryin’ ta Live, Devin The Dude laments when all of his weed -- and the leftover roaches -- have been snatched after he hosted a get-together at the crib. Aside from making a frustration anthem for weed smokers, Devin also makes the song relatable for anyone who has ever been down on their luck.
“What you gonna do when the people go home/and you wanna smoke weed, but the reefer’s all gone/and somebody had the nerve to take the herb/up out the doobie ashtray/why they do me that way?”
On this somber, DJ Premier-laced classic from his album Just Tryin’ ta Live, Devin The Dude laments when all of his weed -- and the leftover roaches -- have been snatched after he hosted a get-together at the crib. Aside from making a frustration anthem for weed smokers, Devin also makes the song relatable for anyone who has ever been down on their luck.
Styles P, “Good Times”
“I smoke like a chimney/matter fact I smoke like a gun, when a killer see his enemy/I smoke like Bob Marley did, add to that that I smoke like the hippies did, back in the 70s”
Knowing one’s history is essential, and on Styles P’s hit single “Good Times,” he pays homage to the legendary weed smokers and movements that came before him. The song is as perfect of a weed anthem as rap has ever seen.
Knowing one’s history is essential, and on Styles P’s hit single “Good Times,” he pays homage to the legendary weed smokers and movements that came before him. The song is as perfect of a weed anthem as rap has ever seen.
Snoop Dogg, “Weed Iz Mine”
“I wake up early in the morning and it feels so good/smoking on some shit that you wish you could/jealousy, envy, please don’t feel bad/this weed is mine, get your own bag/a sack full of OG under lock and key/none for the homies, this is all for me”
As one of the most iconic weed smokers in rap, it’s easy to imagine folks desperate to light up with Snoop Dogg. So it’s gotta be nice for the Doggfather to peacefully puff trees on his own.
As one of the most iconic weed smokers in rap, it’s easy to imagine folks desperate to light up with Snoop Dogg. So it’s gotta be nice for the Doggfather to peacefully puff trees on his own.
Wiz Khalifa & Snoop Dogg ft. Bruno Mars, "Young, Wild and Free"
"Roll joints bigger than King Kong's fingers/ And smoke them hoes down until they're stingers"
For a song this simple, this lyric is a damn good one-liner.
"Roll joints bigger than King Kong's fingers/ And smoke them hoes down until they're stingers"
For a song this simple, this lyric is a damn good one-liner.
Cypress Hill, “I Wanna Get High”
“Forward motion make you sway like the ocean/the herb is more than just a powerful potion”
No list of weed raps would be complete without Cypress Hill, and “I Wanna Get High” is one of their many timeless weed songs. Bonus points for the song appearing in Half Baked, the quintessential stoner flick.
“Forward motion make you sway like the ocean/the herb is more than just a powerful potion”
No list of weed raps would be complete without Cypress Hill, and “I Wanna Get High” is one of their many timeless weed songs. Bonus points for the song appearing in Half Baked, the quintessential stoner flick.
Notorious B.I.G., “Big Poppa”
“Forget the telly, we’ll just go to the crib/and watch a movie in the Jacuzzi, smoke L’s while you do me”
One of Biggie’s first hits was “Big Poppa,” his laid back, radio-friendly heater produced by Easy Mo Bee. Biggie ends his second verse with as perfect of a scenario as a guy could want: relaxing with beautiful woman in a Jacuzzi with, of course, quality weed.
One of Biggie’s first hits was “Big Poppa,” his laid back, radio-friendly heater produced by Easy Mo Bee. Biggie ends his second verse with as perfect of a scenario as a guy could want: relaxing with beautiful woman in a Jacuzzi with, of course, quality weed.
Redman, “How To Roll A Blunt”
“Purchase a Phillie/not the city of Philly, silly punk, I’m talking ‘bout the shit called the Phillie blunt/lick the blunt and then the Phillie blunt middle you split/don’t have a razor blade, use your fuckin’ fingertips”
On this classic from Whut? Thee Album, Redman gives a step-by-step guide on how to roll the perfect blunt.
“Purchase a Phillie/not the city of Philly, silly punk, I’m talking ‘bout the shit called the Phillie blunt/lick the blunt and then the Phillie blunt middle you split/don’t have a razor blade, use your fuckin’ fingertips”
On this classic from Whut? Thee Album, Redman gives a step-by-step guide on how to roll the perfect blunt.
Kanye West ft. Nas and Really Doe, “We Major”
“I take a hit of that chronic, it got me stuck/but really what’s amazing is how I keep blazing/towel under the door, smoke until the day’s end/puff puff and pass, don’t fuck up rotation/Hpnotiq for Henny, now n-gga that’s a chaser”
Kanye West “We Major” was a larger than life moment in rap for multiple reasons -- Jay Z’s protege recording a song with his rival Nas, and the extravagant production by Jon Brion. But Really Doe’s hook almost stole the show with its perfect, triumphant homage to weed and liquor.
Kanye West “We Major” was a larger than life moment in rap for multiple reasons -- Jay Z’s protege recording a song with his rival Nas, and the extravagant production by Jon Brion. But Really Doe’s hook almost stole the show with its perfect, triumphant homage to weed and liquor.
Nas, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”
“My mic check is life or death, breathing a sniper’s breath/I exhale the yellow smoke of Buddha through righteous steps”
Nas begins this Illmatic classic with rhymes about his skills on the mic, and by cleverly using slang for weed while alluding to the righteousness of one of the world’s most renowned religious figures.
“My mic check is life or death, breathing a sniper’s breath/I exhale the yellow smoke of Buddha through righteous steps”
Nas begins this Illmatic classic with rhymes about his skills on the mic, and by cleverly using slang for weed while alluding to the righteousness of one of the world’s most renowned religious figures.
The Fugees, “Ready Or Not”
“I play my enemies like a game of chess/where I rest/no stress, if you don’t smoke sess/lest I confess, my destiny’s manifest”
Lauryn Hill is largely considered as the greatest woman rapper of all time, and her verse on The Fugees’ classic “Ready Or Not” has her bars on full display.
Lauryn Hill is largely considered as the greatest woman rapper of all time, and her verse on The Fugees’ classic “Ready Or Not” has her bars on full display.
ScHoolboy Q, “Hands On the Wheel”
“You sat me down, I’m still trying to get higher/you looked at me stupid when I twisted the fire/meanwhile my n-gga drunk as fuck, a n-gga fucked up, we all fucked up/you done fucked up, I brought more blunts/smoke back to up, you n-ggas know what’s up”
The hook is the money on ScHoolboy Q’s DUI anthem with A$AP Rocky “Hands On The Wheel,” but his verses were just as enjoyable.
“You sat me down, I’m still trying to get higher/you looked at me stupid when I twisted the fire/meanwhile my n-gga drunk as fuck, a n-gga fucked up, we all fucked up/you done fucked up, I brought more blunts/smoke back to up, you n-ggas know what’s up”
The hook is the money on ScHoolboy Q’s DUI anthem with A$AP Rocky “Hands On The Wheel,” but his verses were just as enjoyable.
Run The Jewels, “Banana Clipper”
“Good pussy, good marijuana, that be my medicine”
Killer Mike is crystal clear on his prescription.
Killer Mike is crystal clear on his prescription.
Curren$y, “Razors & Chopsticks”
“Put the towel by the door, and cut the shower on/turn this corner suite into a home”
In another instructional rhyme, weed expert Curren$y advises how to enjoy good green in a hotel without getting caught up.
“Put the towel by the door, and cut the shower on/turn this corner suite into a home”
In another instructional rhyme, weed expert Curren$y advises how to enjoy good green in a hotel without getting caught up.
The Luniz, “I Got 5 On It”
“I got 5 on it, let’s go half on a sack”
“I Got 5 On It” is arguably the most notable weed song ever, based on a simple rule: everyone who pitches in gets to indulge.
“I Got 5 On It” is arguably the most notable weed song ever, based on a simple rule: everyone who pitches in gets to indulge.
Scarface, “Mary Jane”
“When you sad, depressed, and feeling strange - who you blame/need some company to keep you sane - call her name/Mary Jane I love you Mary Jane - do your thang/you’re all I need to keep me through this thang - true to game”
On Scarface’s ode to marijuana, he explains how the herb has helped him cope with depression without the side effects of harsher drugs.
“When you sad, depressed, and feeling strange - who you blame/need some company to keep you sane - call her name/Mary Jane I love you Mary Jane - do your thang/you’re all I need to keep me through this thang - true to game”
On Scarface’s ode to marijuana, he explains how the herb has helped him cope with depression without the side effects of harsher drugs.
Wiz Khalifa “California”
“Still rolling weed on my XXL/only difference is that’s me on the cover”
In a bit of clever wordplay, Wiz Khalifa shouts out his large rolling papers while celebrating his budding rap career by appearing on the cover of XXL magazine.
“Still rolling weed on my XXL/only difference is that’s me on the cover”
In a bit of clever wordplay, Wiz Khalifa shouts out his large rolling papers while celebrating his budding rap career by appearing on the cover of XXL magazine.
Danny Brown, “Blunt After Blunt”
“Gone off a Xany, nodding off, watching Menace/Rolling off some purple that my n-gga call Grimace”
On this smoking session from his breakout album XXX, Danny Brown compares his purple weed to the blobbish character from old school McDonald’s commercials -- right after taking a Xanax while watching the classic hood flick Menace II Society.
On this smoking session from his breakout album XXX, Danny Brown compares his purple weed to the blobbish character from old school McDonald’s commercials -- right after taking a Xanax while watching the classic hood flick Menace II Society.
Jay Z, “Feelin It”
“I’m so confused, OK I’m getting weeded now/I know I contradicted myself, look, I don’t need that now”
In this line from the Reasonable Doubt gem “Feelin It,” Jay is stressing himself out while mulling over whether he should take his mother’s advice and leave the drug game, or continue to risk his life in the pursuit of more cash. Weed doesn’t help the decision-making process, either.
“I’m so confused, OK I’m getting weeded now/I know I contradicted myself, look, I don’t need that now”
In this line from the Reasonable Doubt gem “Feelin It,” Jay is stressing himself out while mulling over whether he should take his mother’s advice and leave the drug game, or continue to risk his life in the pursuit of more cash. Weed doesn’t help the decision-making process, either.
Pharoahe Monch ft. Talib Kweli, “D.R.E.A.M.”
“I used to smoke so much weed that it clouded my brain/took a break had to find life's meaning again/without the smoke in my lungs I started dreaming again”
Even lyrics about leaving the green alone can be powerful. Check Talib Kweli’s verse on “D.R.E.A.M.,” a song from Pharoahe Monch’s 2014 album P.T.S.D.
Even lyrics about leaving the green alone can be powerful. Check Talib Kweli’s verse on “D.R.E.A.M.,” a song from Pharoahe Monch’s 2014 album P.T.S.D.
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