Every holiday needs a soundtrack and 420 is no exception. From blazing new joints to classic tunes, from rock to rap, please allow CULTURE to sonically school you with this 12-track playlist of greatest hits.
“Kush” by Dr. Dre
From The Chronic to this highly anticipated single his third (and final) studio album (Detox—which drops on April 20!), Dr. Dre’s always ready with a stone cold classic.
“Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath
Master of Reality, from the fathers of stoner metal (appropriately enough), features this 1971 Black Sabbath tune that begins with a tape loop of axe-man Tony Iommi choking on smoke from a joint (again, appropriately enough).
“Hydroponic” by 311
311 has always been down as the lyrics from this 1993 song from major-label debut Music will attest to: “Mother Nature supreme step back and dream/The hydroponic scene/Found around knocked out of bounds/Wound into the mind of my stone cloud.”
“I Wanna Get High” by Cypress Hill
What, you didn’t think this list would rep South Gate’s finest? Cypress Hill has plenty of med-friendly songs to choose one, making it hard to pick just one. But this track from 1993’s iconic Black Sunday gets, well, straight to the point.
“Mary Jane” by Rick James
Your parents were probably groovin‘ to this when Rick James dropped his 1978 album Come Get It! You probably rocked it when you clocked it on the soundtrack for the movie Friday.
“Smoke Two Joints” by The Toyes
OK, Sublime got all the love when they covered this song, but the geniuses behind this paean to the preroll were The Toyes, an Oregon-bred reggae outfit who released it in 1983.
“Kaya” by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Off the 1978 album of the same name, this laidback roots reggae gem was distinctive for lacking the militant lyrics and vibes of prior Marley songs—and it was released at the same time as the One Love Peace concert in Jamaica.
“Cali Dro” by Lil Wayne and Birdman
From a 2006 collaboration (Like Father, Like Son) between these two rappers, call this song a call-to-arms for the kief-minded: If it ain’t about money, you don’t even gotta speak/I smoke it in a paper, Weezy smoke it in a leaf.
“Gin and Juice” by Snoop Dogg
A classic song and monster hit from 1994, and one that demonstrates that Dr. Dre is an awesome guy to have as your friend: My homey Dr. Dre came through with a gang of Tanqueray/And a fat ass J/Of some bubonic chronic that made me choke.
“Durban Poison”
All the songs off this electro-dub collective’s album, 1995’s The Wonderful World of Weed in Dub, are named after strains from around the globe. But we like this song.
“I Love Marijuana” by Linval Thompson
Do you really need me to explain this 1978 reggae classic? Didn’t think so.
“Big Spliff” by Murphy’s Law
One of the ’90s high-grade NYHC acts, Murphy’s Law never shied away from political declarations, including this pro-pot anthem.
Compiled by Michael Carlos