Thirteen years after Afroman released his weed-themed novelty song "Because I Got High," the rapper-singer has returned to remake his breakthrough single to support nationwide marijuana legalization efforts.
Where the original song found the rapper making a series of increasingly poor personal decisions because of weed, the "Because I Got High" Positive Remix above takes a more pragmatic approach, detailing the advantages of legalizing weed.
"I had problems with glaucoma/But then I got high/Smelled the cannibis aroma/And I got high/Glaucoma getting better and I know why," sings Afroman.The Grammy-nominated artist goes on to extol the added revenue states like Colorado and Washington have realized since relaxing their respective marijuana laws. "They built a school or two/Because I got high," sings Afroman. "Now the state can fund drug treatment/And I know why."
"'Because I Got High' put me on the map – it’s what got me a record deal, a Grammy nomination and made me a household name," Afroman. "Getting high – and rapping about it – got me to where I am today and I'll be forever grateful for that. With the current political battle with states trying to legalize weed, I thought it was a good time to educate – or set the record straight – about marijuana’s benefits, which is why I wanted to remake the song."
The rapper released the video in conjunction with medical marijuana dispensary locator Weedmaps and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "NORML is thrilled to have brought Weedmaps and Afroman together to create this unique cultural collaboration merging art, entertainment and activism into a single campaign that highlights many of the positive benefits of cannabis, and raises awareness for the legalization initiatives coming up in the 2014 November elections," NORML Director of Strategic Partnerships Sabrina Fendrick said in a statement.
The video was timed to the release of Smoke the Vote, which hopes to bring notice to the November 4th votes in which Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia will decide on the legalization of marijuana and Florida will vote on a medical marijuana amendment.
