We’ll start today’s article with the Blues, the musical origin of many different kinds of music. The Blues originated in the postpartum American South, and developed from African-American spirituals and chants about struggles and discrimination. In the United States, cannabis has been stereotypically associated with African-Americans and Mexican immigrants, and some singers and songwriters played this association up. Here’s a piece from Ella Fitzgerald about how she dealt with struggles in her life:

Because Blues started in poor regions of the American South, recordings of early Blues music are generally rare, so it’s somewhat more difficult to track the role cannabis played in some of this music. However, references to it do appear from time to time in songs like “I’m Gonna Get High” (1937), “We Gonna Get High Together” (1938), and “Weed Head Woman” (1941).

Jazz was directly affected by the Blues, and originated around the same time. Unlike the Blues, however, Jazz is manic in its style, often with free melodies, and a wider variety of instruments. Where Blues has a relatively strict structure, Jazz does not. However, like the Blues, Jazz musicians referenced cannabis in many of their songs, and nowhere is this more obvious in songs referencing “reefer.”

Some other older Jazz songs that reference Cannabis are “Jack I’m Mellow” (1922), “The Man From Harlem” (1932), and “All the Jive is Gone” (1936). Famous Jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong were noted as lifelong users of cannabis.

Unfortunately, the Marihuana (sic) Tax Act of 1937 effectively made cannabis illegal, but cannabis would continue to remain in musical minds regardless of its legal status.

Over in Jamaica, cannabis culture was alive and well thanks to the Rastafari. And nowhere else is it clearer that cannabis has had a serious impact on music than reggae and ska, which originated out of Jamaica. Bob Marley, one of the most famous reggae musicians, is often considered an international symbol representing cannabis.

The religion of Rastafari celebrates cannabis as a holy herb and uses it in a variety of different religious rituals. As a result, it affects many aspects of culture in Jamaica, including reggae.

Some of the earliest rock-and-roll musicians, the Beatles, were known to be big fans of cannabis use. Much of their music contained hidden references to cannabis, and when they wanted to go smoke a joint, they would use the expression “Let’s have a laugh!” And of course, they could use a little help from “a friend.”

Paul McCartney, the bassist for the Beatles would go on to have his own solo career, and referenced cannabis in several of his solo songs, including the song “Hi, Hi, Hi”. Many other influential rock and roll bands such as Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, and more would reference cannabis from time to time in their songs.

Hip-hop music originated out of blues, reggae, and rock in the 70s, and also inherited their love for cannabis. Needless to say, plenty of hip-hop music contains references to cannabis. Some of this music could get pretty raunchy, and because we try to stay professional, we’ll avoid linking anything too negative or rude. Instead, here’s a positive take on cannabis:

Rap and Hip-Hop are sometimes used interchangeably, but rap is only sometimes included in hip-hop music. Regardless, rap music carries on hip-hop’s tradition of referencing cannabis to this day.

From my time looking at some of the history of 19th and 20th century music, it’s pretty clear that cannabis has had a strong influence on major musicians. While not every band consumed, many prominent musicians and music styles would have been very different without the effects of cannabis.