PLAYLIST: South African songs about weed

Earlier today Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo upheld the Western Cape High Court’s ruling that marijuana can be used at home and ruled that parliament must change its drug trafficking and medicines control acts.

A number of South Africans are ecstatic about the ruling and, based on sentiments shared on social media, they will probably celebrate at home by lighting one up.

Like Elon Musk, artists across the nation have unashamedly engaged in the practice for years, often using their music to communicate that fact. So we compiled a playlist of local songs about weed in the wake of the ruling.

Emtee – Roll Up

Roll Up is perhaps South Africa’s most iconic anthem for proud smokers who kindly explained the confusing “krappa fassa, baba let’s” lyrics to the rest of the nation on social media.

When Emtee says “krappa fassa, baba let’s,” he is reportedly referring to the act of crushing the weed before smoking it.

Chronic Clan – Gimme Da Weed

The old school reggae jam is right on the nose with the Chronic Clan’s direct request for weed with lyrics like “gimme the weed, cause that’s what I need, when I smoke it, satisfaction guaranteed.”

Tshego – Garden

In Garden, the Family Tree rapper uses smelling like a garden as a metaphor for smelling like weed which often sticks to the clothes of those who smoke it, leaving quite a strong, distinct smell behind.

Die Antwoord – Zefside Zol

The song’s title features yet another common South African term for marijuana, ‘zol’ and the short song directly describes the act of smoking marijuana in a bottleneck.

“Take the empty bottle beer, smash it broken,
Stuff the neck full of dope, then I smoke it,
Blow the smoke out my nose like a dragon,
And I puff that magic and I drag on,
Ja I smoke-a the weed, and I get-a the high,
Now I’m lekker red in the eye.”

The duo also has a range of products named Zef Zol after partnering with one of Northern California’s largest suppliers of medical marijuana according to Wochit Entertainment.

The range has vape pens, vape refills, candy, and they are in the process of developing a wider range of products available for sale in the U.S.

Nasty C (ft. Erick Rush) “Problems”

With lines like “n***a, I got problems, what you think I’m smoking for?” and “hit the loud like once a month and leave my conscious spotless”, there are no doubts about what the focus of this collaboration is about.

Saudi – There She Go Ft A-Reece

Despite the title, this song is less about Saudi’s interest in a girl and more about his dislike for the fact that she often disappears on him to go get high with other guys – guys he doesn’t really like.

Shane Eagle – Empty Highways

According to Okay Africa, this song is more metaphorical than literal in that Shane Eagle could be talking about “rolling” (driving) on an empty highway or “rolling some trees in an imaginary empty highway.”

Big Star – Flavors ft. Reason & Zoocci Coke Dope

Much like Nasty C’s Problems’, ‘Flavors’ leaves no room for misinterpretation with an opening line like “a lot of smoke in my eyes, man I’m floating on a kush cloud.”

Da L.E.S ft AKA and Maggz – Heaven

Kush connoisseurs, Da L.E.S, AKA, and Maggz wax lyrical about the feeling of being high, comparing it to what they would imagine heaven to feeling like.

The hook, “I’m high as heaven” also plays on the idea of feeling elevated while feeling high.