Cannabis and rap music go together like, well, cannabis and rap music. And since today, December 4th, is the birthday of arguably the greatest rapper of all time, the one and only Shawn Carter (aka Jay Z aka HOV), I’ve decided to pay him a little tribute by listing a few cannabis-related lyrics from his songs and explaining how they relate to us common stoners.
“Party Life”
“This that shit you roll up, like a lil’ tight J to
Sip your lil’ wine, whatever your vice is y’know
Whatever you like to do
Get into your comfort zone baby, get into yo’ comfort zone.”
How We Relate: “Party Life” is one of those songs you throw on when you want to feel like the smoothest individual in the entire world. When you’re feeling yourself, when you’re really in your zone, you know how cool it feels to light one up and exhale like “Wow, I really am the shit.” That’s what he’s saying here. Do what makes you feel good and don’t even worry about those who might not like it.
“Allure”
“And I tried to smoke weed to give me the fix I need—
What the game did to my pulse—with no results”
How We Relate: Ooohweee, this one is too relatable. Jay Z’s talking talk. This one’s about when you’re going through a tough time/dealing with life problems so you try to smoke the pain away, but getting high simply isn’t a strong enough remedy. If you’ve never been there, then just keep living and keep smoking; Trump will ensure you have one of those days.
“Excuse Me Miss”
“You can’t roll a blunt to this one
You gotta, you gotta well, ya gotta light a J
You gotta puff a J on this one [*inhales*]”
How We Relate: We all love a good blunt, but sometimes you’re so much on your grown man/woman shit that you can’t pull out a Swisher for the situation. That’s what Jay was saying here. The song is so smooth that you’ve gotta roll a joint. This one’s for my stoners that go to events with dress codes.
“Feelin’ It”
“I’m so confused, okay I’m getting weeded now
I know I contradicted myself, look, I don’t need that now
It’s just once in a blue when there’s nothing to do
And the tension gets too thick for my sober mind to cut through”
How We Relate: In this one, Jay Z’s going through the decision-making process of leaving the drug game to pursue the rap shit, and it’s causing him to stress. He tries to get high to ease the pressure, but it’s not working; instead, it’s actually causing him to overthink the entire situation. How many of us have gotten too high and started to over-analyze our every decision on some existential crisis scenario? (All of us.)
“So Ambitious”
“I felt so inspired by what my teacher said,
She said I’d either be dead or a reefer head”
How We Relate: If you’ve ever heard the negative opinions of people who think getting a little high is going to ruin your life, you already know why this lyric is so relatable.
“Girls, Girls, Girls”
“Got this weed head chick, she always catch me doing shit
Crazy girl.. wanna leave me but she always forgets”
How We Relate: I mean, come on, this one explains itself. Not the “weed head chick” part, but the “always forgets” part. It’s a stereotype, sure, but the studies on cannabis consumption and memory recall are interesting.
“All I Need”
“And all I need is a chick that hold a jammy
Like Meth and Mary, like Marvin and Tammi
Now understand we can’t be stopped
From blowin’ Swisher Sweets outta candy drops”
How We Relate: Jay Z’s just saying that he needs a woman to hold him down for life, while also understanding that their union is an unstoppable force and together they’ll live a life of blowing big blunt smoke out of a convertible while blasting “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” If you haven’t felt that, you have to get out there and find your stoner soulmate. After that, you’ll understand. Oh, you’ll understand.
