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One of our favorite unofficial holidays, 4/20, is a day of celebration, an opportunity to eat, toke, cop, and watch any and everything around our favorite medicinal herb. If you are looking for edible recipes, on the hunt for new gear, or are simply trying to find the best stoner movies, be sure to check out our Highsnobiety Stoner's Guide.

Whether you’re growing a farm or baking edibles, a star on the show High Maintenance or just getting stoned in your bedroom, weed has always been a part of everyday life for countless people around the world. However, before medical marijuana was legalized in numerous states across America, big-time stoners were usually only able to find refuge in music, and (after a huge come up in reggae) nowhere more so than hip-hop.

Love for marijuana – alias ganja, cannabis, grass, pot, weed, kaya - helped shape the hip-hop industry as we know it today, inspiring some of the wildest rap verses ever recorded and the special kind of stoned visuals that Hype Williams popularized back in the ‘90s.

So in honor of 4/20, join us as we mellow out over our mutual love of the magical plant and round up 10 of the most essential rap songs about weed in hip-hop history.

Scroll down to explore the best rap songs about weed below

Kid Cudi - "Marijuana"

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Now, many songs from "The Man on the Moon's" discography could have made this list today. Even more so, they all slap and work well for just about any blunt rotation. Nonetheless, Cudi's "Marijuana" hits that sweet spot of ethereal sonics and marijuana bars. Using his alluring voice, Cudi transports us into his world as he croons and raps to us about his most reliable friend, marijuana — a full-on and trippy celebration of stoners.

Method Man & Redman - “How High”

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Plenty of rappers are vocal about their love for weed, but few can match the passion that Redman and Method Man feel for the ganja. Not only was their first rap collaboration called "How High", but the song itself soon inspired a feature film starring the two cannabis connoisseurs. Now, years later, there’s still talk of developing a sequel. If they do end up pulling it together, we just hope that How High 2 can match the sick flow of these lyrics taken from the track that first inspired it all.

The Weeknd & Rick Ross - "In Vein"

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The Weeknd knows how to make music to get you through 4/20. Hell, the first mainstream song we got from the pop star was his House of Balloon mixtape single, "High For This." The juxtaposition between his falsettos and the deep moody production of this early career made the Canadian artist a preferred choice whenever I lit up. In the song "In Vein," Rick Ross and The Weeknd draw parallels between their new career heights to being high. Though what type of high is up for debate, it is another cerebral song to enjoy while enjoying a strong indica.

Ludacris - “Blueberry Yum Yum” ft. Sleepy Brown

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With a hook written by Future before he found fame, “Blueberry Yum Yum” is often overlooked when compared to other tracks like “Get Back” and “Number One Spot”, but all these years later, this ode to weed still remains a highlight on The Red Light District. The song is full of killer lines, but the moment when even Ludacris himself is overcome by smoking too much is the funniest and, arguably, the most memorable too.

Wiz ​Khalifa & Snoop Dogg - "Young, Wild and Free" ft. Bruno Mars

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Throw together two of hip-hop’s biggest stoners and what do you get? Astonishing boasts about smoking giant joints that could actually be true. After all, both Wiz ​Khalifa and Snoop Dogg love rapping about marijuana even more than they love money and women, to the point where the magical muse even inspired them to develop their very own stoner movie called Mac and Devin Go To Highschool. If only the film’s script writing matched the lyrical prowess that Wiz Khalifa demonstrates on the track...

50 Cent - “High All The Time”

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While the lyrics in this track taken from Fiddy’s debut album aren’t particularly wild themselves, the fact that 50 Cent later admitted he doesn’t smoke weed makes this cannabis anthem a surprising addition to his back catalog. It’s entirely possible that the Aftermath star simply wrote verses like this to resonate with his fan base, although Fiddy’s description of smoking blunts is a little bit too accurate for someone who supposedly doesn’t like getting high.

Nas - “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”

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Widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, Illmatic showcases Nas and his unique brand of street poetry better than any other record of the ‘90s, cementing his position as an almost messianic figure in hip-hop. On this final track from the album, Nas weaves allusions to religion with slang for weed, all while rapping alongside a sample of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” which helps conveys his religious reverence for the magical plant.

Ice Cube - "It Was a Good Day"

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This may not reference weed in the most direct sense. Nonetheless, as a California native, this plays another quintessential Cali song. It's a feel-good track that works well on a bright, warm summer day. We can all agree "good vibes" is essential for you to enjoy a day of edibles fully.

D.R.A.M. & Lil Yachty - "Broccoli"

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This song feels like a Sativa high — it's warm, playful, and a bit chaotic, but it puts you in a good mood overall. And, if you are wondering, yes, "Broccoli" is a direct reference to weed. In fact, it is most like a direct reference to D.R.A.M.'s love of OG Kush.

Run the Jewels - “Lie, Cheat, Steal”

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EL-P and Killer Mike begin this song by bragging about their various talents both on and off the mic, glorifying their gangster lifestyles with memorable lyrics about Batman and dragons. It’s not until the second verse drops that Killer Mike lays out what he really needs to keep himself going, and we doubt that a doctor gave him a prescription for this. Nonetheless, we’re sure that Killer Mike could afford plenty more “good marijuana” once this song was chosen as the intro theme for the Netflix documentary, Dirty Money.

A$AP Rocky - "Purple Swag"

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For many people, this was their first introduction to the pretty boy himself, A$AP Rocky. "Purple Swag" is a call back to the chopped and screwed, popularized by Houston Legend DJ Screw and artists like UGK. Rocky added his own Harlem swag to this sound, giving us another essential rap weed.

Young Thug - "Stoner"

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The first time hearing Young Thug's voice on "Stoner" was jarring. His cracky voice, paired with his autotuned melodies over minimal production, was indeed something to behold. But, it was visionary, giving us a modern stoner anthem and a memorable introduction to the future Atlanta legend. Free Thugger.

OutKast - “Crumblin’ Erb”

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As the trippiest duo in hip-hop, OutKast incorporated countless references to weed throughout their funkadelic discography, but the most memorable can be found on their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, which remains one of the hardest names to pronounce while baked. On the song “Crumblin’ Erb”, André 3000 waxed lyrical about the benefits of escaping real life through the smoky haze of cannabis, dropping a reference to R&B artist Keith Sweat along the way that also doubles as a reference to ‘kief’ for good measure.

Afroman - “Because I Got High”

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It’s rather ironic that this mainstream stoner anthem actually serves as a warning to those who smoke cannabis in excess. Things start off easy breezy for Afroman and his love of weed, but by the end of the song, the verses take a dark turn as the one-hit wonder becomes paralyzed in a car accident and loses both his wife and his job. Confusing messages aside, you’ve got to love an international chart hit that bemoans what cannabis can do to your sex drive. Is it any wonder that Afroman’s fictional wife left him?

Kid Cudi - "Hyyer"

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Again, it's hard to pick from Kid Cudi's discography when it comes to 4/20 rap songs. Nonetheless, "Hyyer" is an underrated gem that would pair well with any indica strain. "Hyyer" is a deeply moody track that uses Lou Rawl's "Early Morning Love" to great effect. It's a rap song specifically designed for the smoker's experience.

Redman - “How To Roll a Blunt”

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Redman is many things to many people, but on this track taken from his debut album Whut? Thee Album, Reggie Noble is first and foremost a teacher in the art of blunt rolling. Released back in 1992, this song serves as a streetwise instruction manual that changed the game for newbies who were curious about smoking pot. Just remember: It’s all about the Philly blunts.

Cypress Hill - “I Wanna Get High”

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It’s impossible to talk about the impact of weed on rap culture without referring to Cypress Hill. From "Smoke Weed" to "Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up", the multi-platinum selling group seemed to live 24/7 in a cannabis-fueled haze, which also meant that their lyrics on the topic were more insightful than most. Not only is “I Wanna Get High” one of their most timely songs about getting baked, but it also appeared in the film Half Baked, Dave Chapelle’s quintessential stoner comedy.

Next up; here's the best Drake, Beyonce, J. Cole, and Eminem songs of all time.

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