10 Smokin’ Records for Blazing Up

Nothing really hits the post-toke spot like the perfect song pumping through a slick stereo (or your headphones, for those of you blazers on the move). Far be it from us to curate a list that would dare to declare the greatest stoner albums of all-time—art is subjective, right?—but the below records are grade A, world-class options to spin during cannabis consumption. And because there’s no one strain for every situation, we’ve got a major diversity of vibe on offer, plus a bonus album/video that will transport you to another world.

Have a great trip!

The Chronic – Dr. Dre

If it weren’t clear from the album title, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic drives its allegiances home with a front cover that cops from the Zig-Zag logo. The Chronic blazed trails as much as its creators blazed up, with Dre’s innovative production establishing the G-Funk sound that wafted out of many a California recording studio in the ‘90s and influenced multiple generations of artists.

Baduizm – Erykah Badu

In a 1997, pre-album release interview, the First Lady of Neo-Soul didn’t mince words about her debut: “In the culture that I’m from, hip-hop, “izm” is slang for weed or marijuana and Baduizm was designed to get you high by listening to the music.” It remains a high watermark of modern soul well into the 21st-century—laidback, smooth as hell, and deeply sensual.

Master of Reality – Black Sabbath

Master of Reality blasts off with a tape loop of Black Sabbath guitarist Tommy Iommi coughing—after puffing on a joint with singer Ozzy Osbourne—before kicking into high gear with the monster riffs of “Sweet Leaf.” You can probably guess what the tune is about. Master of Reality is widely regarded as one of the records that laid the foundation for the entire genre of stoner rock.

Sleep’s Holy Mountain – Sleep

But, depending on who you ask, Sleep’s Holy Mountain might be the actual apex of stoner rock. Clearly influenced by Sabbath, but sludgier, doomier, and—dare we say it?—heavier, Sleep made a career out of metal made for smoking up, leaning on big riffs and extended jams to get fans in the mood to turn on, tune in, and drop out.

Maggot Brain – Funkadelic

Descend into what might be Funkadelic’s greatest record at your own risk. Right from the get-go, Maggot Brain takes listeners on a trip with its title track—essentially a 10-minute Eddie Hazel guitar solo. Before recording, bandleader George Clinton told Hazel to play as if he had just been told his mother is dead. The otherworldly composition might be the greatest guitar solo of all-time. But it’s not all gloom—Maggot Brain is packed with bass-heavy, head-nodding funk gems.

Journey in Satchidananda – Alice Coltrane

While it’d be a stretch to call Journey in Satchidananda a stoner record explicitly, Alice Coltrane’s experimental jazz album is an incredibly spiritually transcendent collection of music, blending Middle Eastern, North African, and Indian influences over its runtime. Among flourishes of saxophone, percussion both sparkling and earthy, and slow-grooving bass, Coltrane’s harp is the vessel that ferries listeners to higher realms.

Legalize It – Peter Tosh

Bob Marley might be reggae’s most well-known icon—few college dorms haven’t been graced by a poster with his visage—but his one-time bandmate Peter Tosh is just as deserving of glory. Tosh’s “Legalize It” was a radical political statement when it was released, as the singer railed against colonialism and his victimization at the hands of Jamaican police. If the song and album title wasn’t proof enough of his stance, check the record cover, where he tokes up surrounded by cannabis plants. And don’t forget—that kind of move hit different in 1976.

Supa Dupa Fly – Missy Elliott

One of the greatest hip-hop records of all-time is also the home of one of the greatest smoke-up tracks of all-time: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Pass Da Blunt.” You know the hook, “Pass da blunt on the left-hand side”? That’s where it comes from. Supa Dupa Fly mixes Puff Mommy aka the Queen of Hip-hop’s career-defining best rapping and writing and the flawless production of Timbaland at the top of his game for a record that, well—sounds timeless amid a haze of marijuana smoke.

Quarters – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Few bands have explored the near-entirety of stoner music like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and 2015’s Quarters is their most psychedelic offering. With four songs each clocking in at 10:10, there’s no need to think about skipping—just start by dropping in to “The River” and letting the flow carry you away into kaleidoscopic, cannabis-influenced bliss.

Dummy – Portishead

England’s Portishead created a whole new genre with their 1994 debut, Dummy, which fused dark, chilled-out, electronic pop with hip-hop techniques like sampling and loop-making, giving birth to trip-hop in the process. The result—due in large part to Beth Gibbons’ ghostly vocals—is a sound that is somehow simultaneously soulful, sad, spooky, and sexy.

BONUS ALBUM!

Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd

The album cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is a single beam of light hitting a prism and exploding out the other side into a rainbow, all on a pure black background. And that wasn’t the only reason it graced bedroom walls. Dark Side is a true trip, with many a stoner in the old days passing around a VHS version of The Wizard of Oz synced up with the album (it’s maybe-not-so-shockingly great). Side A ends with a transportive track named “The Great Gig in the Sky” that, depending on what kind of headspace you’ve cultivated, might take you to another universe.

Who wants to go?