Paul McCartney famously spent nine days in a Tokyo jail after attempting to import marijuana in 1980. According to historians Ernest Abel and Harry Shapiro, the first recorded American use of “marihuana” occurred at the turn of the 20th century. Commonly know as Mezz, coined after Milton Mezzrow, the jazzman and dope dealer who supplied the drug to jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, many references of the drug can be found on numerous jazz compilations. Even Gillespie talked about pot smoking in his autobiography and how the herb was often used as a stimulus for creativity during practice sessions. Embraced by pop artists in the ‘60s, it was any self-respecting pop star’s “modus operandi” and Bob Dylan and some members of the Beatles admit to being stoned on a regular basis and every mention of “high” or “grass” in a Beatles song, said ex-Beatles member Paul McCartney, was always intentional. While the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones took their cannabis lead from Dylan, Rastafarian Reggae legend Bob Marley claimed to have a more authoritative influence for his smoky partaking. Following his Rafastarian ideology, Marley promoted the use of the herb through Rastafrezism. In addition, many reggae artists, from Collie Budz to Peter Tosh, have numerous songs which reference the use of pot. “For many [Reggae artists] it is a veritable pre-requisite that you have at least one ‘weed tune’ in your repertoire as an instant crowd pleaser,” says Kennedy ‘Prezedent’ Mensah, publisher of Back 2 Da Future Music, “It’s something of a standard when an artist is performing, whoever they are, they’ll have a ‘girl’ tune, a ‘badman’ tune and a ‘weed’ “ tune which they can call on. It’s normal for a Reggae artist to extol the virtues of weed – you just expect it!” In the last 30 years, there has been an increase in music glamorizing the use of illegal drugs, but when it comes to singing the praises of marijuana, many rappers put it very bluntly and have coined an entirely different meaning to “going green.”
Producer, rapper and former NWA member Dr. Dre titled his 2001 album, “The Chronic,” named after a potent strain of marijuana with the CD featuring an artistic rendition of a pot leaf. The members of platinum-certified Cypress Hill regularly speak out about their quest to legalize marijuana and have been known to light joints in mid-performance, as well as backstage at industry events. Even guitarist Carlos Santana wishes the president would legalize pot, whilst Basehead, Snoop Dogg, the Black Crowes, Lemonheads and Sacred Reich appear to be saying anything but “no” to drug references in their art. Not only do some of these musicians promote pot in their artistry, many have also been caught with the elicit drug. In 1968, Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone was arrested for marijuana possession at Heathrow Airport in London causing a cancellation of the band’s British tour. A year later, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones was fined in London for marijuana possession. Paul McCartney famously spent nine days in a Tokyo jail after attempting to import marijuana in 1980. And in 1976, David Bowie and Iggy Pop were arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession. Although the case was eventually dropped, they join singers Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, rappers Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Snoop Dogg, Redman, Method Man and musician Fela Kuti for arrests relating to pot possession. Whether the appreciation of bongs, blunts and joints is merely for creative stimulation or otherwise, the music industry, record labels and many of its artists have certainly rejected the “just say no” adage and as a result, pot has reached a new height of popularity with the help of the music industry.
“It’s something of a standard when an artist is performing, whoever they are, they’ll have a ‘girl’ tune, a ‘badman’ tune and a ‘weed’ “ tune which they can call on. It’s normal for a Reggae artist to extol the virtues of weed – you just expect it!”